Tell Me a Story

Transcription

Tell Me a Story

Unikkaangualaurtaa
Let’s Tell a Story
A collection of 26 stories and
songs from Nunavik, with
activities for young children
Acknowledgements
Research
Elisapee Inukpuk
Stephanie POV
Project Elder
Project Coordinator
Project Director
Carol Rowan
Consultant
Sponsor
Avataq Cultural Institute
215 Redfern, Suite 400
Westmount, Quebec
H3Z 3L5
www.avataq.qc.ca
1-800-361-5029
Funders
Kativik Regional Government
P.O. Box 9
Kuujjuaq, Québec
J0M 1C0
www.krg.ca
Human Resources and Social
Development Canada
This project is funded in part by the
Government of Canada’s Social Development
Partnerships Program.
Public Health Agency of Canada
Funding for the printing of this second
edition was provided by the Public Health
Agency of Canada.
The opinions expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the official views of the Government of Canada.
Support
Sylvie Coté Chew, Special Projects
Coordinator
Suzanne Beaubien, Director of Finance
Rhoda Kokiapik, Executive Director
Board of Directors
Kativik Regional Government
Margaret Gauvin, Regional Coordinator
Child Care Department Staff
Social Development Canada
Ken Desjardins
Other Contributors
Jobie Weetaluktuk
English Translation
Lorrie Kasudluak, Zebedee Nungak, Stephanie POV
Inuttitut Revision
Minnie Amidlak, Stephanie POV, Annie Okpik, Siasie Iqaluk Longue-Epée
French Translation
Josée Villandré
French Revision
Marie Cécile Brasseur
English Editor
Carol Rowan
English Revision
Robyn Bryant
Photography
Stephanie POV, Jobie Weetaluktuk, Etsetera Design Inc.
Layout
Etsetera Design Inc.
Printer
Entreprises Serge Lemieux
ISBN 2-921644-37-1
Legal deposit, 1st quarter 2006
ISBN 2-921644-38-X
(Inuktitut edition)
ISBN 2-921644-39-8
(French edition)
©
Table of Contents
1.
Woman Adopts a Caterpillar – Auvvik........................................... 1
2.
The Woman Who Adopted a Bumblebee – Igutsaq ..................... 5
3.
Sea Cucumber – Quursujuuq .......................................................... 9
4.
Mermaid – Iqaluullamiluuq .......................................................... 13
5.
Baby Bird – Qupanuaq .................................................................. 17
6.
Seal Boy ......................................................................................... 21
7.
Human Polar Bear ......................................................................... 25
8.
Kautjajuq ....................................................................................... 29
9.
Lumaaq .......................................................................................... 37
10. Atungakkuuk ................................................................................ 45
11. Scary Igloo – Qurviluaruq ............................................................. 53
12. Angry Man ..................................................................................... 57
13. Kayaks – Qayait ............................................................................. 61
14. To the Church in Kuujjuaraapik ................................................... 69
15. Ittualua .......................................................................................... 77
16. Inugagulliq .................................................................................... 81
17. Nunamiut on the Land ................................................................. 89
18. Salt water Inuit .............................................................................. 97
19. Lice – Kumak ............................................................................... 101
20. Girls .............................................................................................. 105
21. The Snowy Owl ........................................................................... 113
22. Wrestling – Paajartut .................................................................. 117
23. About Flour ................................................................................. 121
24. Kuuttaaq River ............................................................................ 125
25. Qulliq ........................................................................................... 129
26. Dogs ............................................................................................. 133
i
Introduction
In the spring of 2000, Margaret Gauvin of Kativik Regional Government
proposed to Robbie Watt, then President of Avataq Cultural Institute,
the idea of developing Inuit-specific curriculum materials for the Early
Childhood Educators of Nunavik. At the Elders Conference in August
of 2000, the Elders of Nunavik agreed that collecting stories from
Nunavik – and developing teaching materials to support those stories
– was an important activity with which Avataq should be involved.
As a result, Avataq Cultural Institute became the sponsor of the
project called Unikkaangualaurtaa [Let’s Tell a Story]. Avataq has supported and guided all aspects of
the work. Avataq’s prime mission and mandate is to support and promote Inuit language and culture
in Nunavik, and Unikkaangualaurtaa does both. The expertise of the Avataq staff and Board has been
critical to the quality of the work.
Kativik Regional Government (KRG) has been an important funder and supporter of the project from
the start. KRG childcare staff has provided ongoing advice, support, and direction. The direct ongoing
support of KRG has contributed significantly to the success of the project.
Social Partnerships Division of Social Development Canada has been a major funder of the project.
Funding from the Canadian government was essential to the realization of this project and very much
appreciated.
The project team has been outstanding. The Project Coordinator Stephanie POV has been involved in all
aspects of the work. She took pictures, shot the video footage, and wrote up the stories and template
ideas. The Elder Leader, Elisapee Inukpuk, was hired to provide Elder expertise and advice. Elisapee’s
contribution has far exceeded expectation through the creation of the Elisapee Inukpuk Doll Collection.
This exquisite collection of museum quality dolls and materials was hand-made by Elisapee to support
the collection of 26 stories.
ii
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the Unikkaangualaurtaa (Let’s Tell a Story) project is to support, protect and promote Inuit
language, culture and knowledge through the development of resources that will enable childcare workers
in Inuit communities throughout Nunavik and Canada to make and use Inuit-specific, geographically
relevant, developmentally appropriate materials designed especially for use with children aged 0-5.
The main objective of the manual is to provide information about how to make and use developmentally
appropriate, Inuit-specific materials in a childcare setting.
About the Manual
The manual contains 26 stories. The story collection includes fantasy folktales such as the short story
The Woman Who Adopted a Bumblebee. There are timeless legends with morals, such as Seal Boy and
Kautjajuq, as well as diverse stories about Inuit life in the past, including Girls and To the Church in
Kuujjuaraapik. It is a remarkable and unique collection.
Each of the stories is accompanied by information and activities that are organized within seven
headings. These headings are:
1.
Words – Language definitions in which the English and French versions provide English and French
explanations for Inuttitut words and the Inuttitut version provides the definition in Inuttitut.
2.
Infants – Ideas, related to the theme, for things to do with infants.
3.
Toddlers – Ideas for things to do with toddlers associated with the story.
4.
Song – The song text is usually provided in Inuttitut, and is sometimes accompanied by suggestions
for preparatory activities or tips.
5.
Game – The games include variations of tag, matching, and hiding – depending on the story theme.
They include a variety of games that promote the development of a range of skills – including:
thinking, language, and fine motor and gross motor.
6.
Craft – Always involves something that three- and four-year-old children can make. The range of
crafts is quite diverse and includes tracing, cutting and pasting, beading, and painting.
7.
Activity – These vary widely, and include one that involves the preparation of a moving bird’s foot,
and another of sliding on sealskin sleds.
The reader is invited to share the stories with children and then follow-up the story-telling activity
through song, crafts, and games and activities.
Safety Notes
•
•
•
•
•
•
Young children should not be given objects that are smaller than 1.5 inches /4 cm.
Be aware that long strings, oil-based paint containing lead, and very small toys can be dangerous
for young children.
Check toys and equipment regularly to ensure that they are in good order.
Do conduct routine sanitization of toys.
Be aware of any allergies individual children may have.
Safety and supervision go hand in hand. Provide adequate adult supervision for all activities
involving children.
iii
List of Community Contributors
An important part of the research for the manual involved meetings with Elders, community leaders,
childcare professionals, parents and other interested people in 12 Nunavik communities. These
communities were: Kangirsualujuaq, Kuujjuaq, Tasiujaq, Aupaluk, Kangirsuk, Quartaq, Kangirsujuaq,
Salluit, Puvirnituq, Inukjuak, Umiujaq, and Kuujjuaraapik. Many Inuit from Nunavik contributed to the
process through their participation in community meetings. The Nunavik Childcare Directors – with
representation from each of the 14 Nunavik communities including Ivujivik and Akulivik – provided
ongoing input through briefing sessions during their bi-annual meetings. The Early Childhood Educators
of Nunavik actively participated by testing templates and by contributing pictures as well as content
suggestions.
The diversity and quality of the content of this manual is due in a very large part to the contribution of
Nunavik Elders. These Elders, as well as other interested community people including parents and early
childhood educators, shared with the project team many of the stories and activity ideas which form the
backbone of this work.
These fifty-three people are:
iv
Johnny Alashuak
Annie Etok
Siasi Ningiuk
Susie Aloupa
Lizzie Gordon
Jeannie Partridge
Maggie Akpahatta
Sandy Gordon
Pauloosie Padlayat
Jessie Anahataks
Jessie Grey
Stephanie POV
Johnny Annahataks
Dora Inukpuk
Susie Puttayuq
Alacie Annanack
Elisapee Inukpuk
Maaji Putulik
Johnny George Annanack
Annie Kauki
Sarah Ruptash
Diane Bisonnette
Levina Kauki
Uquutaq Saunders
Julie-Ann Berthe
Eva Kritik
Lizzie Sivuaraapik
Pasa Berthe
Mae Kudluk
Taamusi Sivuaraapik
Silas Berthe
Eva Lepage
Mina Tooktoo
Louisa Brown
Annie Makimmak
Maatiusi Tulugak
Maggie Cain
Guylaine Mathieu
Elijah Tuukiapik
Mona Cookie
Lily Mina
Mark Uninnak
Bill Doidge
Moses Munik
Etok Uqaittuk
Louisa Flemming
Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk
Linda Weetaluktuk
Mary Flemming
Naala Nappaaluk
Lizzie Weetaluktuk
Minnie Etidloie
Lydia Nayome
Credits
Story
Description
1. Woman Adopts a Caterpillar
Carving
Page
Artist
Additional Information
1
Adamie Aupalurta
Putugu
Inuk and Two Caterpillars, Puvirnituq, 1972
Woman holding caterpillar
2
Elisapee Inukpuk
Elisapee Inukpuk Doll Collection
Caterpillar in mitt
3
Elisapee Inukpuk
2. The Woman Who Adopted a
Bumblebee [Igutsaq]
Woman with shawl
5
Elisapee Inukpuk
3. Quursujuuq [Sea Cucumber]
Photo of quursujuuq
9
Jobie Weetaluktuk
Jobie Weetaluktuk, private collection
Photo of Kangirsujuaq
9
Stephanie POV
Man with foot on mermaid
13
Syolie Arpatuk
Legend, Puvirnituq, 1972
14-15
Mina Tooktoo
Kuujjuarapik, 1967
4. Mermaid
Sedna
5. Baby Bird
7. Human Polar Bears
8. Kautjajuq
Photo of Berries
17
Seagull Singing
18
Josie Paperk
Avataq Archives
Print, Puvirnituq, 1972
A Seagull Trying to Fly
19
Josie Papialuk
Print, Puvirnituq, 1982
Seated polar bear
25
Elisapee Inukpuk
Polar Bear Print
26
Sarah Putuguk
Searching For Their Evening Meal, Puvirnituq, 1982
Kautjajuq drawing
29
Annie Makimak
Inukjuak, 2003
Whip
30
Turner, Lucien 2001
ETHNOLOGY OF THE UNGAVA DISTRICT, HUDSON BAY TERRITORY.
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MAKIVIK CORPORATION AND THE AVATAQ CULTURAL INSTITUTE,
350 PP. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1894 AS PART OF THE
ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY,
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1889-1890.
9. Lumaaq
10. Atungakkuuk
Brother with whip
31
Elisapee Inukpuk
Silhouette Puppets
36
Elisapee Inukpuk
The Archer
37
Henry Napartuk
Kuujjuarapik, 1973
Loon
39
Johnassie Mannuk
Sanikiluaq, 1965
Whale
40
Elisapee Inukpuk
Hunting Bear with Bow
44
Juanasialuk Irqumia
Puvirnituq, 1964
Man with whip
45
Elisapee Inukpuk
46-47
Elisapee Inukpuk
Woman on sled
48
Elisapee Inukpuk
Family Hunting
49
Isah Papialuk
Puvirnituq, 1980
Igloo photo
53
Stephanie POV
Inukjuak, 2003
54-55
Paulosie Sivuak
Puvirnituq, 1961
Old person
11. Quriviluaruq [Scary Igloo]
Building an Igloo
12. Angry Man
Eskimo Camp
56
Thomassie Echaluk
Inukjuak, 1976
Man in Kayak
57
Joe Talirunili
Puvirnituq, 1972
v
Story
Description
13. Qayait [Kayaks]
Going Hunting
Women joining skins for a
kayak
14. To the church in Kuujjuaraapik
17. Nunamiut: Inuit on the land
Additional Information
61
Noah Echalook
Inukjuak, 1972
62-63
Leah Qumaluk
Puvirnituq, 1977
Unknown
Pangnirtung, Carol Rowan private collection
Adamie Yugalak
Salluit, 1972
64-65, 68
Seals at Play
69
70, 71,
75, 76
Staff of the Mikijuq
Child Care Centre,
Kangirsujuaq
Dog
76
Unknown
Baker Lake, Nunavut, Carol Rowan private collection
A Hungry Red Fox
81
Tivi Paningina
Ivujivik, 1975
Carving – chin-up man
82
Unknown
Andy Howe private collection
Women with fuel
88
Elisapee Inukpuk
89, 94, 95
Elisapee Inukpuk
93
Elisapee Inukpuk
90, 96
Elisapee Inukpuk
People around tent
Woman in orange parka
Skin cups etc.
18. Salt Water Inuit and Big Skin
Boats
Umiak – Skin boat
97
Daniel Inukpuk
Inukjuak, 1976
19. Kumak [Lice]
Kumak
101
Elisapee Inukpuk
It is very windy and he is
cold
103
Josie Papialuk
Puvirnituq, 1982
Woman in Amauti
104
Elisapee Inukpuk
20. Girls
Woman in Traditional Dress
105
Thomassie Kudluk
Kangirsuk, 1977
106-107
Elisapee Inukpuk
Parka
108
Maggie Kaitainaq
Kangiqsujuaq, 1972
Wooden doll in amauti
110
Elisapee Inukpuk
Dolls
112
Elisapee Inukpuk
Snowy Owl
113
Annie Mikpiga
Puvirntiuq, 1972
Owl packing doll
114
Unknown
Taloyoak, Carol Rowan, private collection
22. Wrestling – Paajartut
Two Men Wrestling
117
Aisa Qupirualu
Alasua
Puvirnituq, 1960
23. About Flour
Elisapee Inukpuk making
bannock
124
Stephanie POV
Umiujaq, 2003
24. Kuuttaaq River
Giants
125
Thomassie Echalook
The Giants [Tuniks] who lived before us were more able
to get food, Print, Inukjuak, 1974
25. Qulliq
Qulliq
129
Elisapee Inukpuk
Kudlik, Ayarak and Kamik
132
Syollie Amituk
Puvirnituq, 1977
Dogs
133
Unknown
Kuujjuaq, 2004
Man with Dog Team
135
Siasie Atiittuq
Puvirnituq, 1963
Dolls etc.
21. The Snowy Owl
26. Dogs
vi
Artist
Inuk in Kayak
Drawings
16. Inugaguliq
Page
Unikkaangualaurtaa
Let’s Tell a Story
A collection of 26 stories and
songs from Nunavik, with
activities for young children
viii
Woman Adopts a Caterpillar (Auvvik)
1
This is a story about a woman who adopted a caterpillar and did not tell
anyone, not even her own husband.
A long time ago, there was a man and wife who had no children. One day,
while the husband was away hunting, the woman went for a walk, and
found an auvvik [caterpillar]. The woman felt that she wanted to take care
of the caterpillar, so she adopted it and took it home with her. At home,
she carefully placed the caterpillar in the long cuff of her husband’s mitt
[airqavak].
Every morning and every night, the woman let the auvvik suck her blood.
The caterpillar began to grow and grow.
The woman did not tell her husband what she was doing. She did not tell
anybody. The caterpillar became her secret. Her secret, adopted, auvvik baby.
The caterpillar grew and grew. It grew until it could hardly
fit inside the airqavak anymore. Now, when the auvvik
fell asleep, its head stuck out of the airqavak. The
woman kept feeding the auvvik some of her blood
every morning and every night, and the auvvik
continued to grow. But the woman still never
told her husband that she had adopted the
caterpillar.
The auvvik grew so well on its diet of human
blood that it became as thick as a human wrist,
and also very long.
The auvvik also became a very good listener. The
woman used to say “aakaakaa” to the auvvik,
and tried to get it to say “aakaakaa” back to
her. The auvvik could not speak in words, but it
learned to understand her. The auvvik could say
“Tijit tijit tijit.” It understood almost everything
the woman said to it.
Finally, one day, when the woman was out, her
husband realized that his airqavak was missing.
1
He searched everywhere for his mitten. He looked around
his bed. He looked on top of his bed. He looked around
his food box. He looked on top of his food box. He
looked around the tent. He looked on top of the
tent. He searched everywhere. He could not find his
airqavak anywhere. Finally, however, he found his
airqavak hidden far from the tent. Inside, he found
the big auvvik.
The husband was very angry to find an auvvik inside
his airqavak. His wife was not around to stop him,
so in his anger, he threw the auvvik hard against
the ground. The auvvik was so big and fat that
it exploded!
When the wife got home, she saw on
the ground a large pool of blood.
The woman burst into tears, and
cried, “Aakaakaarmamannaa
augingngitaraluanga!” [Could this
be my Aakaakaa’s blood!?] She could not
stop moaning, “Tijit tijit taangnguara” [My
dear departed tijit tijit], so great was her sadness
over the loss of her adopted auvvik.
Infants/Toddlers
2
Words
Play
Aakaakaa ........... darling.
Encourage toddlers, and infants
who are able to crawl, to move
like a caterpillar. The leader
should model the movement by
lying on the ground, belly down,
with arms and legs extended
and pressed together; wriggle
forward.
Airqavak............. long cuff; mitten with a long cuff.
Also let babies and toddlers
watch the finger play during
the song (next). They will enjoy
opening and closing their hands.
Auvvik ................ a furry caterpillar with thick, black fur; the larva stage of a
butterfly. In the spring, when the weather turns warmer, it
is the first insect to appear, crawling on the snow.
Tiguartuq ........... any animal, bird or insect adopted and raised by a human.
The word also applies to an adopted human.
Game
Auvviujangnguatuq
(Pretending to be an auvvik)
Getting ready
How to play
1.
1.
2.
3.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Arrange an obstacle-free area where the children
can move easily. Remove tables and chairs if
necessary.
Using masking tape, make a starting and finish line
at opposite ends of the cleared area.
Show the children how an auvvik moves. (See
description in the infant/toddler section).
Make the auvvik sound (tiji tiji).
Invite the children to move along the floor auvvik
style chanting tiji, tiji as they go.
Children line up behind the starting line;
Leader says “Go, Tiji, Go.”
The children move as quickly
as possible auvvik-style to the
finish line.
Tips
As a variation, make this a “slow
race,” in which children move as
slowly as possible to the finish line.
After the race, let the children
colour auvvik shapes.
Song
Sinigiartulirta
(Let’s Go to Sleep)
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Ask if the children know the names of their fingers: [thumb, pointer,
middle man, ring man and baby]
Ask the children how they sleep.
–
Do you sleep on your tummy? Do you sleep curled up in a ball?
–
Do you sleep lying flat on your back?
–
Do you have a blanket when you sleep?”
Explain all about the auvvik, and how the auvvik becomes a butterfly.
How to sing
This is a playful song. The children should be prepared to wiggle their
fingers and use their hands.
This is the song the baby auvvik sang when it wanted to go to sleep.
Sinigiartulirta !
(Move your fingers here)
Qipitsimagiartuluta sinivvitinniivagut
(Close both of your hands here)
Did you know?
It is said that a person who
saves an auvvik by picking it up
off the snow and placing it on
dry ground will live a longer
life than one who doesn’t.
Tupalaarmigatta tupavvisavut naammasituarpat !
Iluunnata atunit nallinartuuluta tupatuarutta
taqalikitaarulaaratta – saralikitaarulaaratta !
(Open one of your hands and show your fingers one by one)
3
Craft
Play Auvviks
Age: 2 plus
Getting ready
Cut short strands of black yarn.
4-year-olds with proficient cutting skills can cut their
own yarn.
Materials
The children will
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
Yarn or wool
Glue
Empty toilet paper roll
Paper scraps or plastic eyes
Scissors
Coloring pens and markers (liquid or dry)
Tips
1.
How to make
Give each child:
•
glue
•
one toilet paper roll
•
pre-cut pieces of black yarn
•
black coloring marker
2.
3.
Activity
Colour the toilet paper roll black;
Glue the strands of yarn on the toilet paper roll;
Cut eyes out of scrap paper and attach to yarncovered toilet paper roll with glue.
After the children finish making their play auvviks,
they can describe what they have made, and how
they made it.
The children may like to re-enact the auvvik story
using their toilet paper caterpillars.
A series of caterpillars ranging from small to big
could be made in order to help retell the story
using paper towel and other sized cardboard rolls.
Mitt Guessing Game
Materials
•
•
Adult-sized large mitten with a long cuff [Airqavak];
Various objects that fit into the mitt and into a young child’s hand,
such as: crayon, block, toy car, stone, seal bone.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The leader hides an object inside the mitt;
One child is picked to be the player;
The player puts his hand in the mitten and feels for the object hidden
inside;
The player says the name of the object in the mitt;
If the player identifies the name of the object correctly, he removes the
object from the mitt, and then selects an object for the next player to
guess. Make sure no one can see the next object!
Play continues until everyone has had a turn.
Tips
Be sure that objects can easily fit a child’s hand and are not sharp or
dangerous.
This activity can be used to encourage language development.
4
The Woman Who Adopted
a Bumblebee (Igutsaq)
2
There once was a woman named Igutsalik who
adopted a bumblebee. The adopted bee was
named Igutsaq, in honour of its mother by
adoption Igutsalik. Igutsalik was Igustsaq’s
sauniq. [Sauniq is the Inuttitut word for
namesake.]
The story goes that Igutsalik had a friend
from Kangirsujuaq. Her name was
Qattaaq.
Qattaaq helped her friend Igutsalik by
threading beads. Together, Qataaq and
Igutsalik decorated a tiny sack. The
sack was just exactly small enough to
fit a big bumblebee.
Qattaaq did not know why she was beading
a tiny sack. Qattaaq did not know for
whom she was beading a tiny sack. But
nonetheless Qattaaq helped to make a
beautifully beaded sack.
Igutsalik did not tell Qattaaq why she
was beading a sack. Igutsalik did not tell
Qattaaq for whom she was beading a sack. But
nonetheless she let her friend Qattaaq help to make a beautifully beaded
sack.
And so it happened that Qattaaq did not know that she had made a beautiful
outfit for a large adopted bee named Igutsaq.
Until one day… Qattaaq found out that the beautifully beaded sack was
used as clothing by a bumblebee named Igutsaq. And Qattaaq became very,
very sick.
Afterword
It is not known how Igutsaq was fed or what Igutsaq ate. All that is known is that Igutsaq was said to be a very
big bumblebee.
5
Words
Igutsaq ............... bee
Isaruq ................. wings
Sauniq ................ namesake
Song
Anirraujisivunga Igutsaalaararmik
(I will take a baby bee home)
Getting ready
Talk to the children about bees and the sounds they make.
Have the children move around the room buzzing and acting like bees.
How to sing
Anaanaga upimalangagunaujuq uvannik
Buzz, buzz, buzz ! Ilaaniungngituq kapikallapunga !
I will take a baby bee home
My mother will be proud of me
I will take a baby bee home
Buzz, buzz, buzz, Oh! I’ve been accidentally stung !
Infants
Babies will love to hear the
buzzing sound of the bee song,
and can be encouraged to make
buzzing sounds themselves.
Older babies will enjoy eating
honeycomb-shaped cereal.
6
Game
Play Bees
Materials
How to make
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.
Stock paper (cardboard), or paper
Glue
Coffee sticks or straws
Assorted coloring materials
Scissors
Photocopied drawings of bee parts to be coloured
and cut out by the children and glued onto
cardboard
2.
3.
4.
5.
Getting ready
Prepare a drawing of bee parts including wings, body
and head, and photocopy.
6.
7.
8.
Did you know?
An Igutsaq is an insect larger
than a housefly and larger
than a black fly. It has a stinger.
Its English name is bumblebee,
because it is a big, slowmoving kind of bee. Igutsait
appear in the spring and
quickly multiply.
Children draw on paper or cardboard the wings,
body, and head (of the bee).
Children colour bee parts: head, body, wings and
stinger
If the children cannot draw, distribute the leader’s
drawing to them (see getting ready.)
Children cut out coloured drawings of bee body
parts using scissors.
Glue the bee body part pieces onto sturdy
cardboard and let dry.
Children/leaders will cut out the cardboard bee
parts.
Children will glue the bee body parts together, first
gluing the wings to the body, and then attaching
the head.
When the bee is assembled, attach the noncoloured side of the bee to a Popsicle stick with
glue.
Tip
When the play bees are finished, the children can retell
the story of Igutsak using the stick-bee puppet (or
repeat the song).
Toddlers
Ask toddlers to make the sound
of a buzzing bee and fly around
the classroom. The toddlers
will especially enjoy this story
because it is short and has some
repetitions.
7
Craft
Cereal Necklaces
(Honeycomb Cereal)
Getting ready
Tip
1.
Making the necklaces
is a good fine-motor
activity for the children.
It also involves eye hand
coordination.
2.
3.
Place 10-15 honeycomb cereal pieces on a plate for
each child
Cut a length of yarn for each child
Prepare a sample honeycomb necklace to show the
children
Materials
•
•
•
•
Small plates – one per child
Pieces of yarn pre-cut in not-too-long lengths – one
per child
Honeycomb cereal (box)
Scissors
Cheerios, macaroni,
and shells are just some
of the many items that can be threaded to make
necklaces; the possibilities are only limited by your
imagination.
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
The child takes the first honeycomb and inserts
the strand of yarn through one of the holes in the
cereal.
The child (or leader, if needed) ties a knot around
the first cereal piece leaving enough yarn at the
end to tie a knot when the necklace is done.
The child then selects another piece of cereal,
inserts the yarn through the honeycomb and ties a
knot.
Leaving a small space between the honeycombs,
the child continues this process until the yarn
is almost all used or the necklace has reached
sufficient length to slip over the child’s head when
the ends are tied together.
Activity
Sauniq Naming
Getting ready
Ask the parents of the children the names of their children’s
namesakes [sauniq].
Make a sauniq chart linking the child to his/her namesake (see
sample below)
8
Names of children
Names of the children’s namesakes
Sarah
Name of Sarah’s namesake
Michael
Name of Michael’s namesake
Mary
Name of Mary’s namesake
Jimmy
Name of Jimmy’s namesake
Alasie
Name of Alasie’s namesake
To make the sauniq chart
you will need:
•
•
•
•
Large sheet of
cardboard
Pen or pencil
Marking pens
The name of each
child’s sauniq
Use the sauniq naming activity as a follow-up to
the Woman Adopts a Bumblebee story. Use the
chart to encourage the children to talk about
the people after whom they have been named.
Quursujuuq (Sea Cucumber)
3
The quursujuuq is a very strange sea creature. In English it is called a sea
cucumber, because it looks like a dill pickle, but it is brown instead of
green.
Even though it looks like a pickle and has a name
like a vegetable, the sea cucumber is really an
animal. It has lines of spines along its body. It
is related to some other sea creatures that also
have spines, including the starfish and the sea
urchin.
Sea cucumbers live in the ocean. Sometimes you can find one in a tidal pool
at the edge of the ocean. Tidal pools are a good place to find all kinds of
interesting things, such as siupiruq [periwinkles], mussels, and different
kinds of seaweed.
The Inuit of Nunavik have an old story about the sea cucumber. They say
that when a person drowns in the sea, the sea cucumbers in the area start
to whistle. They whistle to tell the other sea creatures that it is time to come
and eat the dead person.
They also say that if you find bones along the shore, picked clean, with no
flesh on them, it is proof that the body was eaten by sea cucumbers.
9
Words
Mirqulik ............. sea urchin a sea creature with a thin,
brittle globe-shaped shell covered
with spines that look like porcupine
quills.
There are many living things in the ocean, especially
in the areas close to shore. You can even find sea
creatures on land, when the tide goes out. This area is
called a tidal flat, because it is covered with ocean part
of the time, and land part of the time. These are some
of the things you can find near shore:
Quliiligaq ........... capelin; small, thin fish that travel in
schools (large groups of fish.) Seals
like to eat capelin, especially in the
summer.
Aggajaaq ........... starfish; a sea creature with five
pointed arms, shaped like a star.
Ammuumajuq.... clam; a shellfish with a hard shell.
People like to eat them, and so do
walruses, which like to live where they
can find plenty of clams.
Kakillasait .......... tiny minnows; stickleback
Kaumiq............... sea kelp; a long, brown type of
seaweed found in tidal areas. They
resemble coiled bannock [inaluujaq].
Siupiruq.............. periwinkle, a small shellfish that lives
attached to rock or shells.
Tininniq .............. the part of the shore that is
alternately covered and exposed by
the tide; also, the uncovered ground
and the edge of the outgoing tide.
Uviluq ................. mussel; shellfish with a blue/black
shell. Mussels are delicious!
Kuanniit ............. seaweed; plants that live in the sea.
There are different kinds and colours.
Song
Infants
Carefully select some seashells
to show baby. Baby may want to
grab at the shell – be sure that
the edges of the shell won’t cut
or hurt baby. Tell baby about the
shells: talk about the colour and
the texture. Encourage baby to
touch the shell.
10
Siupiruq (The Periwinkle Song)
Getting ready
Talk to the children about periwinkles. Show them some
periwinkles if you have any available.
Aggajaatillu itigajaatillu
Aulajjatikkit
Kauttungajaq tungaja tungaja
Kauttungajaq tungaja tungaja
Game
Whistle Frozen Tag
Age: 3 plus
Number of players: 3 plus
Getting ready
Encourage the children to practice whistling.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The children walk about until the leader whistles – then the
children have to stand completely still, as if they were frozen;
The leader must watch carefully to see who is the last child to
freeze; that child is “Out”, and must sit down and watch the
rest of the game;
Tell the players to move around again until the leader whistles
again; the last child to freeze is “Out”;
Continue playing until only one player remains – the winner.
If the children want to repeat the game, they can play again.
This time, the winner of the last game can be the whistle
blower.
Toddlers
Take the toddlers outside to do
some whistle blowing. If possible,
provide each child with a small
plastic whistle. Talk about the
Quursujuuq story and about
how the whistle was used to
communicate. Show the toddlers
the display of items from the
seashore. Talk to them about
items of particular interest.
11
Sea Shell
collage
Craft
Getting ready
Take the children down to the seashore to collect seashells.
Materials
•
•
•
Sturdy cardboard
White glue
Shells
How to make
1.
2.
The children select one shell at a time;
Apply glue to the flattest part of the shell and push it
onto the cardboard;
Continue gluing and applying shells until the child is
satisfied that the collage is complete.
3.
Tip
Other materials can be applied to the collage, such as sea
grass and sand.
Did you know?
It is said that when one sings
to a small siuipiruq, the shell
on which it is sticking suddenly
disappears.
Activity
Take the children for a walk on the beach to collect shells
and search for treasures.
When the tide is low take the older children to the tidal
flats to collect mussels, dig for clams, pick seaweed and
discover the sea life.
Set up a display table where the children’s seashore
treasures can be available for the children to examine.
12
Mermaid
4
It is said that if a human sees an Iqaluullamiluuq [mermaid] washed up on
land or in a tidal area, that person should push the Iqaluullamiluuq back into
deep water using a stick or pole. In return, the Iqaluullamiluuq will reward
the person with some sort of gift – perhaps an endless supply of money, or
great wisdom, or whatever the human most desires.
Moral
If you help a mermaid, you will be helped in return.
13
Iqaluullamiluuq .... a creature that is half human and half fish; a mermaid.
Words
Naujaaluk.............. seagull.
Nitsiq ..................... grappling hook used to retrieve a sinking seal or other object.
Song
Iimik iinniatuq
1. iiga iiga iitsariuq
Tamuatsariuk tamulutsariuk
Uriarialauraluaruviuk qanialuata iluagut
Kakiuk kakiuk kakiuk kakiuk!
2. iiga iiga iitsariuq
Tamuatsariuk tamulutsariuk
Uriarialauraluaruviuk qamuuna kakiuk
Aqiarualuata iluagut kakiuk kakiuk!
About the song
Long ago, children used to have special aqausiq (songs) that they sang
to seagulls. The children tempted the seagulls with a piece of fat at the
end of a string. Hidden inside the fat was a hook that would stick in
the seagull’s throat. The children believed that the songs would make
the seagulls more eager to swallow the fat.
Infants
Sing the seagull song to the
babies. Change the strength
of your voice from loud to soft
while singing the words.
Imitate seagull sounds. Invite
baby to make seagull sounds.
Suspend a handmade seagull
from a string and show the
babies.
14
Game
Squished Sardines
Age: 3 plus
Number of players: 3 –7
Getting ready
Pick someone to be “It”
Define the limits of the playing area (eg. the classroom, the house).
Playing
1.
2.
3.
4.
While the children help the leader count to 15 slowly, “It” hides.
The children try to find the hidden person.
When a child finds “It”, they stand quietly stand beside him/her while the other seekers keep looking.
The game ends when all the players are crammed into “Its” hiding place.
Toddlers
Pretend Mermaids
Materials
adult sized neck warmers – one
for each child
How to play: The children pull
the neck warmer over both
ankles and up to their knees in
order to make a single unit of
their legs, like mermaids.
The children try to move around
as a mermaid might, and pretend
that they are mermaids
Tips
When outside walking, watch
and listen for seagulls – show
them to the children. Invite the
children to imitate the seagull
sounds.
15
Craft
Mermaid Skittles
Age: 3 plus
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Save small plastic bottles such as Yoplait drink bottles.
Save old newspapers.
Take the children for a walk to a sandy
place and let each child collect one
sandwich-sized baggy of clean sand (a bag
for each bottle).
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
small empty plastic drink bottles
clean sand
funnel
newspaper strips (about two inches wide and
10 inches long)
tape
paste made of flour and water (about the consistency of
cooked oatmeal)
yarn (to make hair)
material scraps (to make clothes)
acrylic paint and brushes
glue
How to make
1.
2.
3.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Pour sand through funnel into plastic bottle until about half full.
To make the head: Crumple one piece of newspaper to make a ball
with a pointy end. Insert the pointy end firmly into the top of the
plastic bottle and tape in place.
Dip a newspaper strip in the flour paste and wrap it carefully over the
head and bottle. Repeat until you have 3 or 4 layers of paper covering
the whole head and bottle.
Leave it to dry in a safe place until the next day.
Paint the mermaid when the paper is completely dry.
Paint a face on the head.
Paint the base of the bottle to resemble a mermaid tail.
Glue on pieces of yarn for hair.
Activity
Have the children express all their ideas about Iqaluullamilluuq [mermaids].
16
Baby Bird
5
This little story is about a small songbird called a qupanuaq. In English the
qupanuaq is known as a sparrow.
There is an old story that tells of a baby qupanuaq that was eating blackberries.
The baby qupanuaq’s mother loved her baby bird very, very much. While
the baby was eating a big juicy berry, the little qupanuaq suddenly began
to choke. While the baby bird struggled to swallow the big blackberry so it
could breathe, its mother sang this special song to the little qupanuaq:
Ataatatsiangalu uvingngiusullutit, Anaanatsiangalu uvingngiusullutit
Qairqujaulirli uvingngiusullutit, Qiturngaarjuga uvingngiusullutit
Saunnisarmat uvingngiusullutit, Puurringaalummik uvingngiusullutit
Ujaraaluup uvingngiusullutit, killinganut uvingngiusullutit
Qimalijuvara uvingngiusullutit
Quu quu quu quu quu quu!
Tip
Whistle after every word when singing this song.
17
Words
Qupanuaq .......... sparrow
Kigutingirnait .... blueberry
Suluit .................. the bigger feathers on a bird’s wing or
tail
Kimminait .......... cranberry
Paurngait ........... crowberry
Suluk .................. one feather
Measurement Words:
Nataarutsijuq ..... only the bottom of a container is
covered
Berries :
Arpik .................. bake apple
Qitirutsijuq......... half-full
Kallait ................. large sour-tasting red berry (Inuit
don’t eat these)
Tatattuq ............. full
Song
Qupanuaraapik
paaniittuapik
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Talk to the children about small song birds such as
sparrows- qupanuat.
Provide the children the opportunity to express their
thoughts and knowledge about qupanuat.
Show pictures of qupanuat (if they are available).
The leader sings the song once for the children to listen
to.
The second time the song is sung encourage the
children to sing along.
How to sing
Qupanuaraapiit paaniittuapiit
Infants
Manniapikulungit tungujungajuapiit
Piatsi kukitikkut taanisirvisanga
Plan to take the babies on a
berry-picking expedition. The
babies will appreciate being
carried on the leader’s back.
Once at the berry patch the
babies can be placed on an
ulipakaaq (big wool shawl used
for carrying babies) and enjoy
being outside in the fresh air in
the berry patch.
18
Qulittavinaaluk sanajaugiirquq
Game
Making and playing a feather mouth harp
(harmonica)
Materials
•
•
•
Long feathers of any sort (1 per child)
Mouth harp (harmonica)
Pictures of birds
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Wash the feather in soapy water, rinse, then
dry.
The large feathers of any bird are suitable
for use as mouth harps. Collect one feather
for each child. Be sure the feathers are clean.
In preparing for this activity:
–
Ask the children about birds. What are
birds? Why do birds have wings?
–
Show the children pictures of birds.
–
Show the children feathers.
–
Show the children a mouth harp/
harmonica.
–
Show the children how the harmonica is
played.
Playing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Show the children how to whistle.
Ask the children to try to whistle.
The leader takes a feather and holds the feather
between the two baby fingers and places the
feather just in front of the mouth and whistles.
The leader gives a feather to each child; the child
holds the feather between their baby fingers while
whistling.
A bird feather can be used for whistling, and as a
mouth harp/ harmonica.
Tips
Afterwards, ask the children if they know about
qupanuat (small birds), and let them tell you about the
subject. If you have qupanuat nearby, let the children
see them. Also if you have any books about birds, they
could be made available to the children in an interest
centre.
Toddlers
Did you know?
Qupanuaq is a small bird (sparrow) that lays 3 to 5
tiny eggs. Sparrows migrate. They appear in the Inuit
homeland in the springtime and leave in the fall.
Children enjoy chasing qupanuat and setting up
box traps to try to catch them. In March, with the
first warm southerly wind, the snow buntings
arrive in Nunavik. They bring with them the
promise of spring to come.
The toddlers will also like to go
berry-picking. They will enjoy
picking and eating berries. Do
carefully supervise the toddlers
to ensure that they are picking
and eating berries that are good
to eat.
19
Craft
Berry Necklaces
Age: 4 plus
Getting ready
How to make
1.
1.
2.
3.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Take the children on a berry-picking expedition.
Pick berries that are not quite ripe. Give each child
a small cup/container to fill with berries.
Pick a variety of berries and while the children are
picking talk to them about the berry names.
Kallait (sour red berries that Inuit do not eat) and
Kimminait [cranberries] are good for making berry
necklaces because they are not too juicy.
Show the children how to thread a needle. Show
the children how to push the needle through the
berry.
Prepare the materials needed for stringing the
berries: needle, thread, and small plates to hold
the berries that the children picked.
4.
5.
Provide each child a pre-threaded needle.
Push the needle through the centre of the berry.
Continue to sew the berries until there aren’t any
more berries or the necklace is long enough.
When finished, tie the thread (or wool) together at
the two ends.
Wear the necklace.
Tips
A 4-year-old child can handle the use of a darning
needle for this activity. Choose needles that are not
sharp and that have large eyes. Some of the children
may like to try threading their own needles.
If the children decide that their
necklace tastes good, they can eat
it playfully. However, they should
not eat Kallait berries. (Inuit never
eat Kallait berries.)
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
Hard (unripe) berries not yet juicy
Small plates (1 per child)
Needles (darning needles with large eye,
not too sharp)
Assorted strong thread such as embroidery
thread or sewing yarn
Scissors
Activity
Outside walks and berry games
Do take the children outside on the land for a walk
or berry-picking trip. While walking on the land show
children features of the environment such as plants,
rocks, and waterways like ponds, streams, rivers, etc.
Create an opportunity while berry-picking to talk to
the children, in context, about measurement words.
For example when the child’s cup is full of berries: “I
see your berry picking cup is full (tatattuq)”. Other
measurement words that could be used include:
nataarutsijuq (the bottom is covered) and qitirutsijuq
(half-full).
A berry guessing game can be played. The leader takes
any number of berries between one and five, and hides
them. The children must guess the correct number of
hidden berries. The child who guesses correctly can be
asked to become the berry hider.
20
Tips
Most 4-year-olds can count to five and some to 10 or
more.
Preschoolers will enjoy a sorting activity to separate the
different kinds of berries into piles.
Seal Boy
6
This is a story about a small boy who turned into a seal pup when his
grandmother tossed him into the sea.
Long ago, there was a small boy who had no mother or father. He was
neglected, and people treated him badly. They even ripped his clothing,
and tore off pieces of it. His grandmother brought him new clothing
made of caribou skins, but people continued to rip it up. They even
came to his home to rip his clothes.
One day, his grandmother could take
this mistreatment of her grandson no
longer. She took the small boy down
to the edge of the sea, and threw him
into the water. As she did so, she said, “You will surface
on the water as a natsiavinaapik [a seal pup].”
Just as his grandmother promised, the boy turned into a seal pup. Then his
grandmother said, “When the hunters chase you, lead them far from shore,
then spread your arms when you reach the water’s surface, and ungallak!”
[the noise seals make with their flippers].
Soon, some of the men who had mistreated the boy saw the seal pup surface
near their qajait. The hunters tried to spear him with harpoons, but they
failed. There were many qajait chasing the seal boy, but not one hunter was
able to catch him.
The seal pup led the hunters far from shore. Then he surfaced, spread his
arms, and ungallak [clapped his flippers]. This caused a big wind and raging
seas. The qajait and their occupants were caught in the storm, and —unable
to reach the safety of land— they all drowned.
Moral
We should never mistreat any human being, no matter who they are, not even if we dislike them. Instead, we
should try to change our own attitude, make peace with the person we do not like, and have a good talk with
them.
21
Words
Alluq................... the breathing hole that seals and
ugjuit [bearded seals] have in the sea
ice. Where there is no open water or
aulaniq [shifting ice], breathing holes
are the only places where the seals
can get air. They keep the holes open
all winter.
Iliarjuk ................ a person who is mistreated or
neglected, because they have no
parents, and not enough food or
clothing.
Naulittaq ............ a harpooned seal or ugjuk [bearded
seal].
Nippatuq ............ describes a person waiting at the
breathing hole of a seal for a seal to
appear.
Niugartuq .......... a process of rubbing sealskins or fur
on snow or vegetation, to clean them
and improve their appearance.
Pukaq ................. snow that resembles sugar in texture.
Inniaq ................. wooden drying frame.
Innitaq................ skin or fur that has been put out to
dry.
/nnituq ............... describes the person who puts skins
out to dry.
Natsiaraapik....... a young seal [or seal pup], still small
but independent of its mother.
Song
Qisik ................... the skin of a seal, bearded seal,
beluga whale, or walrus. All sea
mammals have qisik as their outer
layer. A layer of fat lies under it.
Uuttuq................ a seal lying [basking] on the ice or on
land.
Ugjuit ................. Bearded seals and aiviit [walrus] also
bask on land or ice.
Natsiiq natsiiq, qisiqarpiit
(Seal, seal, do you have fur?)
Natsiiq natsiiq qisiqarpiit?
Marik marik qisiqarpunga
Inniangualiaratsamik panirsijutsamik
Ulluni amisuni panirsilangajumik
Kamitsataalaaravit itigaijalaannginavit !
Infants
Tips
Mat high kick
Place the infant on a mat on the
floor. Attach a seal model to a
cord, and move it so the baby
can see. Encourage baby to use
arms and feet to reach and kick
the seal model.
22
•
•
•
•
After the children finish singing, teach them the sounds that
seals make. Also, demonstrate how seals move.
You can even have the children race in a spacious room, while
making seal noises and moving like seals.
Ask if seals are used for food, and which parts of the seal are
edible.
Describe how seals uuttuit [bask on the ice], and how they
are hunted by the nippatuq [waiting at the breathing hole]
method.
Game
Jump Kick
Age: 2 plus
Materials
•
•
•
Model seal made of sealskin [Seal doll]
Rope or cord
Mat
Getting ready
Attach seal doll to rope, and sling the other end of rope over a crosspiece,
rafter, or hook attached to the ceiling. You need to be able to easily adjust
the height of the seal doll. Show children how the high kick works (see
below).
Let them practice, in turn, kicking the seal. At start all children in the group
should be able to kick the seal with foot.
Playing
1.
2.
3.
4.
Decide who will go first.
Each player has to stand on one foot (the left or the right), jump up
and try to touch the sealskin model seal with the raised foot. If he/she
does not succeed (after one or two attempts), that player is eliminated
from the next round of play, and the next player takes a turn.
Raise the seal a little higher, and let the children who succeeded
on their first attempt try to kick the seal again. Those who fail are
eliminated.
Continue raising the height of the seal until only one child is left in the
game.
Tips
This game is good physical exercise.
Children who are not playing can watch the action,
or can practice jumping on one foot while they wait.
Toddlers
Try on Mom and
Dad’s boots
If you have kamituinnait
[sealskin boots], show them to
the children, and let them try
them on, even if they are too
big. Children enjoy trying on the
clothing of adults. Toddlers love
to try to walk around in adult
rubber boots.
23
Craft
Model Drying Frames
Age: 4 plus
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Explain to the children the meaning of innitaq,
innituq and qisik and show them a picture of an
actual inniaq.
Make a sample model before having the children
make model inniat.
Explain which animals have qisiit [skins], for
example seal, bearded seal, walrus and beluga
whale.
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
3.
Six small sticks for each child
Wood glue, or glue stick
Short pre-cut lengths of yarn
Hole-punch
Black cardboard (or cloth) sealskin shapes
Scissors
Note
Alternatively, provide children with outlines on
cardboard of a sealskin, which they can cut out
themselves. If you do not have black cardboard,
let children paint white or brown cardboard black.
4.
With the hole-punch, make holes in the four
corners of the sealskins.
Attach yarn to the four holes, then tie the model
sealskins to the four corners of the model drying
frame.
Tips
The sticks may become unglued with handling, and may
need to be glued again.
Once children have finished their project, talk about
what it is they made.
How to make
1.
2.
Glue the six small sticks end to end in the shape of
an inniat. Let dry.
Paint the cardboard seal shapes black, if necessary.
Let dry and cut out.
Activity
Did you know?
Sliding on sealskins is a
traditional Inuit activity.
The sealskins were being
cleaned in the process by their
contact with crystalline snow.
Sealskin Sledding
Materials
How to play
1 sealskin per person
1.
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
24
Age: 3 plus
Consider safety first when you select a place to
take children sliding.
Find a gently sloping hill.
Make sure the sliding path is free of obstacles such
as rocks and garbage.
2.
3.
4.
Take sealskin to top of snow-covered hill, and
place skin on snow. The skin will slide fastest if
positioned fur-side down, and with front (head
section) facing downhill.
Child sits on sealskin holding on to the edges with
both hands.
Adult places palm of hand on the child’s back and
pushes gently forward.
Child slides down hill, then picks up skin sled and
climbs back up to the top of hill.
Human Polar Bears
7
A story about a family who moved next door to a family of polar bears
who looked like humans.
Long ago, there was a man and a woman who were husband and wife. They
had only one small child, a very young child, an only child.
The husband built an igloo for his little family near another house that was
much bigger. He and his wife did not know anything about their neighbours
who lived in the big house. The neighbours looked like regular people. They
dressed like regular people. The man and his wife had no idea that their
neighbours were really polar bears that had been transformed into people.
One day the wife decided to go out for a walk. She carried her small child
in an Ulipiqaaq [shawl] on her back. When she came to the big house next
door, she thought somebody might be home, so she went in. Inside the big
house she saw many polar bear skins lying on the floor. The polar bear skins
were completely clean, empty of any flesh. She was very surprised to find
that nobody was home.
It is said that when great polar bears are transformed into people, they leave
their fur on the ground. The woman was very surprised to see the polar bear
skins on the ground. She was also very surprised to find that the big house
next door had an inside layer of insulation, made of some unknown material.
She was glad that her baby was sleeping soundly on her back.
The woman was still inside the big house when the great polar
bears came home. She was very scared. She had nowhere to
escape. The woman, with her baby still sleeping soundly
on her back, hid herself between the layers of insulation
lining the walls of the big house.
She listened as the great polar bears, which had been
transformed to look exactly like people, spoke in Inuttitut.
The great polar bears were complaining that they had
come home with nothing to eat. Suddenly, one of
the great polar bears said, “Inuksunirjualiinnaa
Maanangat!” [I smell a human in here.] Then another
of the great bears said, “Ittuvugguuq tuukkaijatsamat
kigutaijatsamat Aaaah Eeeeh!” [Our old man has lost
a tooth, eeeeh!]
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The woman was very frightened. She did not know what to do. Her child
had started making noises, and she thought it was just about to cry. She
tried to stop the baby from making any sound. She was frightened that if it
cried, they would be discovered! She was so frightened that she accidentally
smothered her child to death.
Finally, when night came, the great polar bears fell asleep. The woman did
not move a muscle. All night long she stood perfectly still, hidden inside the
big house where the great bears lived. She did not try to escape, because
she was certain that if she moved, she would be found out.
The next day, the great polar bears prepared to go hunting. At last, the
woman thought, she would be able to leave her hiding place. But just when
she thought the house was empty, one of the great polar bears stomped
back into the big house. It seemed that bear had forgotten something. The
woman returned to her hiding place behind the insulation where she had
stood all night.
As it happened, the forgetful polar bear never left the house all day. The
woman spent that whole day and another whole night hiding. In the end,
she hid for two full nights inside the insulation of the big house, hiding from
the great polar bears that looked like people.
At last, the great polar bears finally left the big house, and the woman
finally returned home to her igloo. She arrived home without her child. The
husband was shocked when he learned that they had lost their only
child. He was also very surprised to learn that he lived next
door to polar bears that looked like people.
Infants
Babies like to hold soft objects
such as soft dolls; is there a soft,
clean rag doll that baby could
hold? Babies love to put things in
their mouths so be sure the doll
is clean!
You can use a baby carrier/shawl
[ulipakaaq] to play a game of
peek-a-boo with baby. Holding
the material above your head,
look baby in the eyes. Then cover
your face with the shawl. Raising
the shawl above your head say,
“Abah.”
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In the end, the couple moved far away. But, for
the rest of their days, they lived in fear that their
neighbours could really be polar bears in disguise.
Words
Kigutiit ............... tooth
Nanuq ................ polar bear; a large animal with white fur, it lives on land
and in the sea. Its preferred diet is seals.
Ulipakaaq........... baby holder, shawl
Game
Nanuungnguatuq (Polar Bear Tag)
Number of players: 3 - 10
6.
Getting ready
7.
8.
Invite the children to talk about polar bears and polar
bear facts. Some facts: polar bears eat seals; polar bears
are large mammals with white fur.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Pick one child to be the first pretend polar bear.
The pretend polar bear lies face down on the floor
or ground.
The other children (players) sit around the pretend
polar bear on the floor.
Once all of the players have sat down and are
very quiet and still: the pretend polar bear starts
moving around the game area with hands and feet
on the floor.
The children scatter while being chased by the
pretend polar.
Craft
All players move with hands and feet on the
ground. They may not stand up and run.
The polar bear tries to touch one of the players.
When a player is touched by the pretend polar
bear, that person must immediately lie on the
ground. All the other players including the former
pretend polar bear sit on the ground around the
player who is lying down. When all of the players
are seated and still, the new polar bear rises, the
children scatter and play resumes.
Tips
The pretend “Bear” should do his/her best to act
exactly like a bear, and act very fierce.
Play can continue until each child has had the
opportunity to be the “Bear,” or until the children tire
of the game.
Nanungnguaq (Cotton-ball Polar Bears)
Getting ready
Tips
Have cotton balls ready, explain what they are, and tell
the children how they will be used for the craft.
1.
2.
Materials
•
•
•
A photocopy of a polar bear picture for each child.
(Or the leader could prepare a template of a polar
bear that the children can use to trace the polar
bear shape onto blank paper.)
Cotton balls
Glue
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
Age: 3 plus
Give each child a photocopied drawing of a polar
bear, glue, and cotton balls;
Spread glue all over the polar bear;
Push the cotton balls onto the glued bear to cover;
Each child should put their name on the back of
the bear once the glue is dry.
3.
When finished, ask children to talk about what
they have made.
Do you have any books about polar bears for the
children to look at? Can you borrow some from the
library? School?
What kind of information can you find on the
Internet about polar bears?
Toddlers
Show the toddlers a soft doll,
then ask them to lie on the floor
with their eyes closed. Hide the
doll somewhere in the room, and
invite the toddlers to find the
doll.
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Activity
Counting teeth
Materials
Getting ready
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.
2.
Cardboard showing children’s names
Pen (or pencil)
Toothbrush (one per child)
Toothpaste
Face cloth (small towel)
Pictures (or diagrams) of teeth
3.
4.
5.
Talk to the children about teeth.
Explain that their teeth have to last them their
whole lifetime.
Explain what they can do to have healthy teeth:
brush, eat healthy food, and so on.
Ask the children if they have ever gone to see a
dentist?
Ask the children if they know what the dentist
does?
How to play
The supervisor should have a large cardboard with the children’s names written on it. For example:
Names of children
Children’s guesses
Actual number of teeth
Mina
Mina thinks she has 12 teeth
Mina has 18
Tamusi
Tamusi thinks he has 15 teeth
Tamusi has 19
Caroline
Caroline thinks she has 9 teeth
Caroline has 18
Moses
Moses thinks he has 10 teeth
Moses has 20
You can playfully count the children’s teeth this way:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Know that even very small children (or infants) can
take part in this counting of teeth. If they cannot
speak, an adult can count aloud for them, and
write down the number.
Before counting, first have all the children brush
their teeth so they will be good and clean. Clean
the teeth of the infants with a facecloth (or small
towel).
Have all the children sit down on the floor.
Ask each child how many teeth they think they
have, and write their guesses down on the
cardboard chart.
Count each child’s teeth, and write the number on
the cardboard chart.
Song
6.
While the children are still sitting, have them sing
the Kigutiapik song about teeth. The song goes
like this:
Kigutiapik Kigutiapik
Ilinnik Uvannik
Kigutinitsaqujijuq Kigutinitsaqujijuq
Ullutamaat Unnutamaat!
Tips
Invite the dentist and/or dental hygienist to visit the
childcare centre, or take the children on a visit to the
dentist. The dental professionals may enjoy helping
with the tooth activity.
Nanuugamali Maani (I Am a Polar Bear Here)
Getting ready
Nanuugamali maani
The leader pretends to be a polar bear, and playfully
tries to scare the children while singing:
Nanuugamali maani
Nanuugamali maani nanualuugama!
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Kautjajuq
8
Kautjajuq was a poor orphan boy who spent his days making oil from seal
fat, until the day his brother transformed him, and he became a giant.
Long ago, there was an orphan boy named Kautjajuq. Both his parents had
died when he was still a small boy, so he was adopted by his grandparents.
Kautjajuq had an older brother who lived elsewhere. Still, he loved Kautjajuq,
and visited him from time to time. He knew that the boy was neglected and
mistreated.
Kautjajuq was truly mistreated, a pitiful iliarjuk. He was often hungry and
thirsty. He had to sleep in the entry of his grandparents’ home, without any
blankets or bedding. He slept at the manuaq [threshold] of the igloo, sharing
his sleeping place with the dogs.
Kautjajuq was very small. He was so small that his grandfather and other
people would move him around by his nose. These heartless people would
pick him up by his nostrils, using their index and middle fingers. As a result,
his nose became huge and red and swollen, and it turned up at the end.
Kautjajuq lived in the porch with four dogs called
Qipiarjualuk, Akitiarjualuk, Alliniarjualuk, and
Qulittaajualuk. Not only did he have to sleep with
the dogs, he had to eat with them, too. They were
fed the same food. Kautjajuq did not even have
any utensils with which to eat. He ate with
his teeth. Just like the dogs.
One day a woman who lived in the camp
took pity on Kautjajuq, and gave him a
knife. Nobody told Kautjajuq’s grandparents
about the knife. But they noticed that Kautjajuq
was finishing his food more quickly than normal, and
they became malugusutuuq [suspicious].
One night, as the family was sleeping, an Inuk arrived
at the camp. Kautjajuq’s grandfather woke the poor
little orphan, and ordered him to go and see who had
arrived.
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It was very dark outside, and Kautjajuq was very small, so he was afraid to
go outside to see who the visitor was. Instead, he told one of the dogs who
lived in the porch with him to go out and see who was there. But the dog
refused to move. So Kautjajuq tried to encourage the dog by singing it a
song:
Qipiarjualuuk aningaarit, Qulitaajualuuk itsungaarit
Aningaarumannginama itsuangaarumangnginama
Aningaalirama itsuangaalirama
Aaningaga nutiuna tikitsuni
Ullaakut tikitsuni
Ullaaraatsiajuakkut tikitsuni
Still, none of the dogs would move. Finally Kautjajuq went outside alone,
even though he was very, very scared. Waiting outside was his angajuk [older
brother], the only person in the world who loved him.
Kautjajuq and his angajuk left the camp, and went to a place where no
one else could hear them. When they came to a large boulder, the angajuk
took an iparaq [whip] and began to whip Kautjajuq all over his body. The
whipping was meant to force Kautjajuq’s body to grow. It was in the dark
of winter, and the air was freezing cold.
Every now and then the older brother would stop and ask, “My dear little
brother, have you not changed yet?”
Kautjajuq would answer, “I have not yet changed, so keep on whipping
me.”
So the brother kept whipping until Kautjajuq had grown
large enough that he could lift the big boulder. By
the time angajuk stopped the whipping, Kautjajuq
was a man. He was a very big man, a giant,
because of what his brother had done.
The reason the angajuk was able to make
Kautjajuq grow into a giant was because he
was a shaman. As a shaman he could cause his
brother to nulajuq [transform].
After the whipping, Kautjajuq the giant returned to the
30
31
camp with his brother. There, the shaman called for three large polar bears
and their cubs to come to the grandfather’s camp. The arrival of the polar
bears frightened everyone. Then, Kautjajuq started picking up the people
one by one, and threw them to the bears.
Kautjajuq’s grandfather yelled, “Kautjajuruuq nuluva?” [Has Kautjajuq been
transformed?] To which Kautjajuq yelled back, “I will get you.”
People were very scared. They did not want to be thrown to the bears. Some
of them cried, “We helped you Kautjajuq, we gave you piniraq to keep you
warm. You should not have become big. ”
They sang:
“Kautjajuq nulajualuummat, nulajuq nulannami nunalik qanialuatta
silarqimi!”
There were two women who had been kind and generous to Kautjajuq when
he was small, but he accidentally threw them to the polar bears.
Some men offered Kautjajuq their kayaks and sleds if he would spare their
lives. But even as they begged, Kautjajuq picked these people up and threw
them to the polar bears.
Of all the people living at the camp at that time, only two lives were spared.
Those two women became Kautjajuq’s wives and servants, and lived the rest
of their lives in fear, rushing to fill his every request.
Kautjajuq had become a giant and was greatly feared.
Moral
When children are always treated badly and without care they can
become mean adults.
Tips
Use the Kautjajuq story to talk about human values with the children.
We all desire to be respected, and we all want to feel loved. We all
deserve to be treated respectfully and to be raised with care.
32
Did you know?
When some people tell this
story, they say that it was
the Man in the Moon who
caused Kautjajuq to nulajuq
[transform].
Game
Nulajuq (transform)
6.
7.
Getting ready
Invite the children to talk about polar bears and polar
bear facts. Some facts: polar bears eat seals; polar bears
are large mammals with white fur.
8.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The children stand quietly in an open area of the
room;
The leader says, “Nulajuq dog”;
The children act like dogs, barking and running
around on hands and knees;
The leader gives a new command, “Nulajuq polar
bear”;
The children act like polar bears, roaming around
the room like polar bears;
9.
Age: 3 plus
The leader commands the children, “Seagull”;
Because the leader did not first say Nulajuq, the
children should continue to act like polar bears.
Any child who begins to fly around the room like a
seagull must sit down.
Continue giving commands for the children to act
like different animals. When Nulajuq precedes the
command, the children should obey it. When the
leader does not say Nulajuq first, then anyone who
changes to the new animal is “out“. Play continues
until one child remains.
The remaining child can become the leader and
the game can be played again.
Tips
This game could also be played by having the children
act out feelings (happy, sad, mad, funny and angry).
Words
Angajuk ............. big brother
Iliarjuk ................ an Inuk who is very poorly treated.
Toddlers
Ipirautaq ............ a sealskin whip.
Manuaq.............. the threshold of the entrance/exit of an igloo.
Malugusuttuq .... suspicion
Nulajuq .............. transform by magic
Piniraak .............. slippers
Toddlers will be interested in
shadow storytelling.
In a darkened room, shine a
flashlight on the toddler so that
they make a full-body shadow on
the wall.
Ask them to act out poses to
show people’s feelings, for
example:
- Happy person
- Sad person
- Mistreated person
- Loved person
- Angry person
- Caring person
The children can also act out
characters from the story. Ask
them to be: a dog, Kautjajuq
(small and big), the big brother,
the grandfather, a polar bear.
33
Song
When Kautjajuq was afraid to go out into the night, he tried to encourage the
dogs to go in his place. He sang this song to the dogs:
Dog Song
Qipiarjualuuk aningaarit
Qulittaajualuuk itsumaarit
Aningaarumangnginama itsuangaarumangnginama
Aningaalirama itsuangaalirama
Aaningaga nutiuna tikitsuni, ullaakut tikitsuni
Ullaaraatsiajuakkut tikitsuni !
The woman who had once given Kautjajuq a pair of old used
piniraq [foot slippers] sang him the following song:
Sock Song
Kautjajuq tainna
Kautjajuarjualuk tainna
Nulaniatjangittuq nulajutsaujangittuq
Piniraviniinnik aittulaujugakku!
Infants
Take the babies one by one to
look in the mirror. Look into the
mirror with them, and make
different faces – happy, laughing,
sad, and angry – and explain in
words the different feelings that
match the faces.
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Craft
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
Pen (or pencil)
Different colours of construction paper
Scissors
Popsicle sticks
Coloring pens/markers
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Draw characters and images from the story
onto construction paper. These can include: two
brothers, a polar bear, igloo, dogs.
Cut around the drawings.
Trace the drawings onto sturdy cardboard and cut
out.
Glue the drawings onto the cardboard.
Glue the cardboard onto a Popsicle stick. (For
larger drawings a chopstick or wooden spoon can
be used).
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Activity
Silhouette puppet show
Age: 4 plus
Good for small groups of 3–4 children per group.
Materials
•
•
Flashlight
Puppet people, sun, igloos, and polar bears (see directions above)
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Have the children prepare to retell the Kautjajuq story using the
Popsicle-stick puppets.
Invite the children to think about the sequence of events in the story.
What happened first? (Kautjajuq was a poor mistreated orphan who
lived with his grandparents.)
What happened second? (Kautjajuq was treated like a dog.)
Encourage the children to describe 4 or 5 main scenes from the story.
Have the children use the Popsicle stick puppets to retell the story.
Presenting the play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
36
Invite children from other groups to come and see the show.
Turn the lights off in the room, and close the blinds.
Have the children with the puppets assemble behind a table in the
room.
The leader or one of the children will aim a flashlight toward the
puppets. The viewer will see the shadow images.
The children will use the Popsicle-stick puppets to retell the story.
Lumaaq
9
A long time ago, there was a widow named Lumaaq. She had a son and a
daughter, and one dog called Irquaq.
Lumaaq’s son was blind. Lumaaq neglected her blind son, and let him live
by himself in an old, abandoned igloo. She did not care for him lovingly.
One spring, when the igloo windows were melting away, a hungry polar
bear appeared outside the blind boy’s igloo. Lumaaq and her daughter were
very frightened. Lumaaq told her son to grab his bow and arrow, and shoot
the bear. The blind boy shot an arrow, and killed the polar bear dead.
37
Did you know?
A loon is called tuulliq in
Inuttitut. It is a bird with very
attractive feathers, whose
call is very pleasing to hear,
because it is sweetly musical.
The loon walks on land
awkwardly, but it is very agile
in the water, and can move
almost like a seal. It can travel
very fast underwater, and
can stay submerged for long
periods.
As soon as the bear fell, Lumaaq shouted,
“Qimmituanga pitippaa. Irquaq pitippaa.” [The
arrow has hit our only dog! Iqquaq is dead!”]
The blind boy thought he had shot the polar bear.
He had a feeling that his mother was not speaking
the truth. He said, “If it was the dog, it would have
made a whimpering sound” [Maralarajalaurpuq].
He thought his mother was lying. But he could
not be sure.
That evening, the blind boy’s sister brought him
some polar bear meat. The boy’s sister loved
him. She often brought food to her brother.
She cared for him. She loved him.
The loons watched over the blind boy and his family. The loons saw
everything that happened.
In the late spring, as the rivers and lakes began to thaw, the blind
boy’s sister took him by the hand and walked him to a nearby lake. On
their way, the boy asked his sister to mark the way. He asked her to
build Inuksuit [rock markers], so that he could find his way home.
When they reached the lake, the sister said goodbye to her brother
and left him by the shore.
The loons were waiting for the boy by the lake. As soon as the
sister was gone, the loons told the blind boy they were going
to hold his head under the water. They told him, “You
must stay perfectly still under the water until you feel
as though you absolutely must have air. Only then can
you move.”
But under the water, the boy panicked. He could not
stay calm. He wanted air. He needed air. He struggled
to the surface of the water. But he could not open
his eyes. He could not see.
And so, a second time, the loons carefully coached
the boy. This time, he stayed calm under the water.
He stayed under the water much longer, and when
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finally he felt that he must have air, it was the loons who helped him out
of the water. It was the loons who helped him to slowly open his eyes. This
time, he could see. He could see the land. He could see the big rocks. He
could see the sun.
But he wanted to see more. He wanted to see clearly. So for a third time,
the loons helped the boy under the water. This time the boy kept his
eyes open. This time he stayed completely calm. This time he could
see the fish in the water. Finally, when he was desperate for air, he
lifted his head out of the water for the last time. The boy could see
clearly. He could see the burrows of lemmings. He could see strands
of straw.
He walked back to camp, following the Inuksuit that his sister
had left for him. As he got close to the melting igloos, he saw
a polar bear skin stretched out between sticks that had been
pushed into the ground. The skin was drying pauktuat. Now
he knew that he had been right. He had killed the polar
bear. The boy was very angry, so angry that he ripped the
polar bear skin to shreds.
Then he noticed some whales in the surf. He grabbed
his ipiraq [harpoon line], tied it around his mother’s
waist, and prepared to harpoon one of the whales.
While he hunted, he sang,
39
Anaanamma nasaujanga
Qaviujivuq qavirviujivuq
Luma, Luma, Luma, Luma, Lu,Lu,Lu.
While the blind boy was singing, his mother Lumaaq was still tied to the
harpoon line. When he shot his harpoon into a whale, the whale pulled
Lumaaq over the rocks, off the shore and into the sea. There, she transformed
instantly into a whale.
Lumaaq sang a song as she was dragged under the water:
Pikungatuuq pikungatuuq
Pinguattaup qaanganut salumajumut
Aquvillanga Lumaaq !
Infants
Make baby Inuksuit with three
containers of varying sizes,
piled on top of each other
from biggest on the bottom to
smallest on the top. Baby may
like to knock the tower down.
Baby might like to make her
own tower. Baby might like to
turn the containers over and pile
them together.
Did you know?
Inuksuit are rocks placed in a
pile to guide travelers on the
land.
In Nunavik, an Inuksuk is made
by piling rocks so that the pile
is wide at the bottom and
small at the top. Inuksuit are
not built with legs and arms, as
they are in Nunavut.
In Nunavut, the Inuksuit are
built with arms and legs so
that they look like men.
40
Words
Avataq.................... a float, attached to the harpoon line, so that a harpooned
animal is not lost. (Lumaaq was used as an avataq in the
story).
Avingngaq ............. lemming
Inuksuk................... marker made of piled stones
Ipiraq ...................... harpoon line
Pauktuat ................ animal skins that are dried in the sun while stretched
between wooden sticks inserted in slits around the edges of
the skins and driven into the ground.
Maralajuq .............. the whimpering sound a dog makes
Naulittuq................ harpooning an animal
Tautungngituq ...... a blind person
Tuulliq .................... a loon
Did you know?
Some people say that Inuit
have excellent eyesight
because of what the loons did
for the blind boy.
Song
While Lumaaq’s son harpooned the whale, he sang this song:
Anaanamma nasaujanga
Qaviujivuq qavirviujivuq
Lumaa Lumaa Lumaa Lumaa Luu Luu Luu!
Toddlers
As Lumaaq was being dragged by the whale, she sang this song:
Pikungatuuq pikungatuuq
Pinguattaup qaanganut salumajumut
Aquvillanga Lumaaq!
Play a breath-holding game with
the toddlers. Ask the toddlers to
take a big breath of air and see
how long they can hold it.
Give the toddlers a range of
empty containers with which
to build their own Inuksuk.
These could include: empty milk
containers, ice cream containers,
margarine containers.
41
Game
Tuulliq Avingngaq
(Loon and Lemming)
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
4.
Invite the children to tell you what they know about lemmings and
loons.
Encourage the children to make the call of the loon and the squeak of
a lemming.
Talk to the children about blindness. Ask them to imagine what it
would be like to live without sight. Have all the children close their
eyes and ask them what they see.
Select a space where the children can safely move around with their
eyes closed. Remove all objects that they might trip over.
Materials
Two head scarves
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Make two teams. Name one team Tuulliit, and the other Avingngait.
Each team forms a line behind the starting line.
The first player in each line ties the scarf around his/her head, being
sure to cover the eyes well.
When the leader says ‘GO!’ the blindfolded children walk toward the
finishing line (the best choice for this is a blank wall).
When the players touch the wall, they remove the scarf, run back to
the start, and pass the scarf to the next player in line, who ties the scarf
on, walks to the wall, and runs as before.
Play continues until all players on both teams have had a turn.
Give a prize to every child on the team that finishes first.
Tips
This game can help children be more understanding of what blind people
feel and sense.
When the children are done, they might like to draw loons and lemmings.
They could do this from their imagination, or colour in a photocopy or
tracing.
42
Craft
Inuksuk Boxes
Getting ready
Collect empty milk and other containers. Wash and save.
Materials
•
•
•
•
White Styrofoam cups, wooden blocks
Clean recycled containers: milk boxes, yoghurt – different sizes
Glue
Paint
How to make
1.
2.
Glue together the empty milk boxes in the shape of an Inuksuk.
When the glue is dry, paint the boxes, cups or containers, if you like.
Activity
1.
2.
3.
4.
Inuksuk Rocks
Go for a walk and see how many Inuksuit can be
seen within walking distance of the center.
Find a place where the children could build their
own Inuksuk out on the land.
Collect some rocks to bring back to the center and
make some Inuksuit around the building.
Make some small rock Inuksuit indoors:
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
Small rocks
Collecting bag for each child
Pail for washing the rocks
Glue
1 large flat rock (for the base) for each child
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Take the children on an expedition to collect small
rocks.
Have the children carry the rocks they pick in the
small bag.
Wash the rocks and let dry.
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Place the one large flat rock on the floor for a
base.
The small rocks are then glued onto the flat base.
Arrange the rocks from largest to smallest. Each
rock is glued in place.
End with one small rock at the top.
Let the glue dry.
43
44
Atungakkuuk
10
This is a story about Atungak and his wife. They walked around the whole
world.
A very long time ago, there was a man named Atungak and his wife. The
couple wanted to walk around the world.
The couple lived in a sealskin tent with their two children, a boy and a girl.
When their son [irniq] was able to hunt ptarmigan and their daughter [panik]
could sew and act independently, the two parents prepared to leave their
children and walk around the world.
The daughter did not want her parents to
leave. To try to make her daughter feel
better, the mother said, ”Sapangaapinnik/
Piquttiapinnik pitaartilaarakkit!” [I will
bring back some beautiful beads for
you.]
The parents left their community
on foot. Their plan was to walk
around the world, hauling
their belongings on a qamutiik
[sled].
They traveled through many
parts of the world. Sometimes
they came across some very
scary people and some very
mean people. They arrived in
one place where there were only
men – no women. The men were
bossy and mean. The travelers were
very frightened.
One of these bossy, mean men
kidnapped Atungak’s wife. Atungak
was very unhappy about having his
wife taken from him. He set out to
45
find his wife. Eventually Atungak found the tent
in which his wife was hidden. He stretched tall
in an effort to peer through the hole in the
tent known as the qingaq [nose]. Atungak
looked through the qingaq and saw that
the man who had stolen his wife was inside.
Atungak also saw his wife, who was busy
butchering a seal.
Atungak began to spit at the seal in order
to attract his wife’s attention. He really
wanted to catch her eye, but she did
not notice him.
So Atungak destroyed the sleds
belonging to the mean, bossy men,
in the place where only men lived.
He used his knife to cut the rawhide
bindings [napuliutik] on the sled
runners. Atungak destroyed all the sleds
of those bossy and mean men.
Then, in the dark of the night, Atungak crept
into the kidnapper’s tent and rescued his wife.
Atungak and his wife ran as fast as they could to the
shoreline. They ran until they found the aulaniq, the
moving part of the pack ice, which is found near the
shore. They hopped on to the ice floe.
After a while, the mean, bossy men discovered that
their sleds were ruined. They saw that the napulitik
had been cut to shreds. So the mean, bossy men took
their bows and arrows to the shore and began
to shoot at Atungaq and his wife, who were
jumping across the moving ice.
The couple managed to escape from the place
where only men lived, and continued their
journey around the world.
46
Eventually, Atungaq and his wife returned to their community and their two
children. When they reached home, the husband saw an old man and an old
woman hauling a seal up a hill. They followed the old people’s footprints until
at last they caught up with them. Atungak asked, “Who are your parents?”
The daughter responded, “We are the children of Atungak.”
The daughter was now an old woman and she could not get about very well.
The son and daughter had slept most of the time while their parents went
around the world, and so they ended up looking older than their parents.
The mother had promised to bring her daughter beads as a souvenir of the
great expedition. And so she had brought her daughter a gift of beads.
But when she presented the beads to her, her daughter sang:
Sapangat sujunukua sujunukua (beads are for what?)
Nigiuraalujunga sapattusautjangittunga! (I’m too old for beads!)
The daughter was no longer able even to handle the beads. She
was now a very old woman. The daughter sang the song because
she had become too old for beads. She looked and acted older
than her own mother. And the son looked and acted older than
his father.
The two children had been left alone for a long, long time. So during
that time, they used to sleep – for many hours a day. Eventually
they grew to be very old. Their parents did not get old because they
walked and walked and never slept more than they needed to stay
healthy and travel home.
Moral
If you sleep all the time, you’ll get old fast.
47
Words
Aippak................ companion, spouse
Ittuq ................... old man
Anaanatsiaq....... grandmother
Ivuniit ................. Ice broken up by heavy weather
Angutik .............. male, man, husband
Arnaq ................. woman
Napuliutik .......... rawhide thong that binds the cross
bars to the runners of a sled
Ataatatsiaq ........ grandfather
Ningiuq .............. old woman
Aulaniq .............. ice floe
Nutaraq/
Piaraq ................. baby
Irniq .................... son
Panik .................. daughter
Piqutiit/
Sapangat ............ beads
Qamutiik ............ Inuit sled with 2 long runners
Uvikkaq .............. young, youth
48
Song
Sapangat Sujunukua
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Leader asks children about beads, encouraging children to draw on
their knowledge and experience to talk about beads.
Review the bead part of the story with the children… how the
daughter of Atungak and his wife sang this song long ago, because
by the time she received the bead gift she was too old to handle the
beads. She and her brother had slept away their youth and as a result
they aged more quickly then their parents. The parents maintained
their youth through physical fitness.
When singing the song, it is useful to introduce the words to the
children by having them listen while the leader sings. Then on
subsequent turns, encourage the children to join in the singing.
How to sing
Sapangat sujunukua sujunukua
(beads are for what?)
Ningiuraaluujunga sapattusaujangittunga!
(I’m too old for beads!)
49
Game
Naangijarniq (hopping on one foot)
Number of players: 2 or more
How to play
Getting ready
1.
2.
1.
2.
3.
Explain to the children that they need to find their
own space in which to hop.
Have the children stretch to warm up.
Provide children with definition of naangirjaniq
[hopping on one foot].
3.
4.
Age: 3 plus
Players make a circle, standing up.
Each player selects foot to stand on. The player
then folds the other leg and holds on to that foot
using the hand on the folded-leg side of the body.
The players start to jump and continue jumping for
as long as possible.
The last person hopping on one foot is pisitik.
Tips
Each child needs enough space to be sure they don’t
bump into anyone or anything. Be sure to select a large
enough space for this activity.
Infants
Infants that can sit up by
themselves on the floor are
developed enough to play the
ball-rolling game.
Materials
A cloth-covered or soft rubber
ball about 15 centimetres in
diameter
Play
Leader places baby on the floor
and sits near baby on the floor
with legs open. The leader gently
rolls the ball across the floor to
baby.
Baby then takes the ball between
his/her hands and pushes it back
across the floor to the leader.
50
Older children may like to be
invited to play this game with
baby. Continue to play until baby
loses interest in the ball-rolling
game.
Craft
Beading
Age: 3 plus
Getting ready
Tips
1.
•
2.
3.
4.
5.
Leader explains to children what they are going to
make.
The leader shows the children how to bead, by
pushing the pointy end of a threaded needle
through the beads, one at a time.
Explain to the children about needle safety –
always return the needle to the pincushion. Always
remain seated when using the needle.
Give the children a piece of string and show them
how to tie a knot at the end of the string. Let the
children practice tying a knot.
Beads are available in many sizes. Three-year-old
children can use the biggest available beads. Some
four- and five-year-olds can use regular beads, but
may have more success with larger beads.
•
•
•
•
Beading is a fine-motor activity. It requires skill and
refined eye-hand coordination. This activity may
not be suitable for all the children in your group.
Take extra care to ensure that the children use safe
practices with the needles.
Have a pincushion or special place for the children
to store the needles.
Encourage the children to remain in their seated
place while working with the needle.
Keep beads away from children under three, as
they present a choking hazard.
Toddlers
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
Beads (young children will have more success with
larger beads)
Thread
Scissors
Needles (Select needles with large heads)
Bowls
Getting ready
Tell the children about how a
long time ago, Inuit used to play
jumping games. The person who
jumped for the longest time was
the best jumper. They didn’t win
anything; they played just for
fun.
Be sure that you choose a space
large enough for the children to
jump easily and safely.
How to play
Have the children stand and find
their own place on the floor.
Ask the children to start jumping,
pushing off and landing on both
feet.
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
Children sit on their chairs or on the floor
When they are seated, give each child a bowl with
beads and a threaded needle.
Invite the children to start beading. The children
can make a necklace or bracelet.
When they finish, let the children try to practice
knotting the thread. Advise the children to let you
know if they need help.
The children continue to jump
until they are too tired to jump
anymore. The last jumper is
pisitik.
Tips
•
•
This game can be played
indoors or outside.
It is a good gross-motor
activity for young children.
51
Activity
Qimutsiit (dogteams) with ptarmigan feet
This section provides directions for making a
ptarmigan-foot dog team and some ideas for things to
do as a follow-up to the Atungakkuuk story.
How to play
Collect ptarmigan feet (or feet from other birds)
This model dog team can be attached to a model
qamutiik [sled]. The qamutiik can be loaded with
model hunting equipment. If you don’t have model
qamutiit [sleds], you can play with this model team of
dogs as they are.
Materials needed
This game is excellent for learning how to speak, and
for learning how to think.
Getting ready
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Scissors
Hole-punch
Pencil (or pen)
Paper
String
Softened leather
Ptarmigan feet
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Create a pattern for making the leather harnesses
by first using paper to design the device.
Cut out an oval shape large enough to fit over a
ptarmigan foot.
Using the hole-punch, make three holes in the
paper.
Try inserting the toes of a ptarmigan foot through
the model. The toes of the ptarmigan should fit
through the holes. Adjust the pattern until you
have one that works.
Use the oval paper shape you just cut out, and
copy the pattern on some tanned leather. Cut out
one leather harness for each ptarmigan foot that
will be used for the game.
Once you finish making all the oval-shaped
patterns, “harness” all your ptarmigan feet (place
the leather pieces on the ptarmigan feet).
After “harnessing” all of your “dogs”; use scissors
to cut a hole in the rear part of each oval-shaped
leather piece, and tie a string to each through
this hole. Once all the “harnesses” are tied with
a string, they are ready for play as a model dog
team.
Tips
•
•
•
•
52
Bring a world globe into the childcare centre and
spin it so children can see the shape of the world.
Bring an atlas into the centre and show the children
maps.
Arrange to have seal meat or ptarmigan served for
lunch.
Leaders can share with children ptarmigan and seal
hunting stories. For example: “I remember the time
I was up on the rocks and I chased a ptarmigan and
caught it in my hands.”
Qurviluaruq (Scary Igloo)
11
This is a legend about an abandoned igloo haunted by a frightening being
called Qurviluaruq. In the old days, people told this story to discourage
children from going out alone at night.
Long ago, when Inuit still lived in igloos, there were strange spirits and scary
beings in many different places. Children liked the scary feeling they felt
when they went to a place that might be haunted by a spirit. Sometimes,
children waited in abandoned igloos late at night, hoping to see something
scary.
So their parents told them about a creature called Qurviluaruq. Qurviluaruq
was a small creature, smaller than a human being, who could get into an
abandoned igloo by rolling in through the window. If Qurviluaruq saw a child,
he would snatch the child away, and no one would ever see them again.
Of course, children were frightened by the very idea of Qurviluaruq. So at
night, children stayed close to home.
Tip
Use this story to talk about scary feelings. Ask the children to tell you about something that happened to make
them feel very scared or afraid.
53
Words
Aluqaartut ......... pretending to steal from each other
Aluqaartuq ........ making licking sounds with one’s tongue
Pingittutuq ........ a person who is very concerned about a relative who
has not arrived when expected, and goes to search
everywhere possible for the missing person
Manuaq.............. inner doorstep of an igloo. In the game of Aluqaaqtut,
manuaq also is the name of the object of play (which
could be any small object such as a stone or a cup)
Song
Imirtariaqujauvunga ukkusivut
imairummat
Imirtariaqujauvunga
Ukkusivut imairummat
Irsigaluarsunga kappiasugaluarsunga
Imirtariasivunga unnulirtilugu
Imirtariaqujaugama!
Infants
Hold the baby up to a window
and look out. Talk to the baby
about the different sights and
sounds outside the window.
The infants will enjoy visiting an
igloo.
54
Game
Aluqaartut
Getting ready
Age: 4 plus
Rules of the game
1.
This is a traditional winter game, which can still be
played today. Traditionally, the game was played using
two igloos, one igloo for each team of players.
Players would be divided into tapiriit [teams] to oppose
each other in contests of strength, wrestling and
pretend battles. Each team did their best to win, but
there was no serious conflict. Aluqaartuq used to be
played all day, until all the players of one team had
been “captured.”
2.
3.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
You will need two igloos fairly close to each other.
You also need a small object (for example, a toy
or stone) that will be the object of play [manuaq].
This game is more fun with lots of players.
Set up two teams. Decide which team will be
the first to hold the manuaq [object of play - or
“prize”].
Each team should go inside their selected igloo.
The team holding the manuaq starts the game
by placing it on the inner doorstep of their igloo.
Then they invite the opposite team to send a
player to try to grab the object.
4.
The player from the opposite team must make
loud licking sounds [aluqaaq] while trying to grab
the manuaq. If they can grab the manuaq without
being captured, they take it back to their own
igloo, and place it in the entrance. Then someone
from the first team must try to capture the
manuaq back.
If the player fails to capture the manuaq, he/she
is taken captive, and spends the rest of the game
hidden inside the first team’s igloo.
The captured player’s team can try to rescue him/
her. To do this, they send a “searcher” to the igloo
to say “Pingitturama!” [I have come searching!]
The other team replies, “Sunamiik pingittupit?
Tinguttuqiit? Puvattuqiit? [What have you come
searching for? Have you eaten liver? Have you
eaten lung?] When the searcher runs out of
questions to ask, he/she will leave, pretending
to cry, while the other team calls after them:
“Tainnaliinna imaittuulaujugami aullalaujujuq!“
[That person was here, and departed some time
ago.]
You can continue to play this game until all the
players from one team have been captured. You
can even stop, and start again the next day.
Tip
For small children, you may want to eliminate step 4 in
the game.
When grouping the children in teams, try to make sure
that the teams are as balanced as possible.
Toddlers
Toddlers can rip the scraps
of construction paper and
participate in the craft.
Toddlers will also love to walk
around inside an igloo. Young
children should be dressed
warmly and taken outside for
playtime inside an igloo.
55
Craft
Ripped Paper Igloo
Getting ready
Collect scraps of construction paper
Materials
•
•
•
Scraps of construction paper
Glue
Standard-size piece of cardboard, Bristol board
or construction paper
How to make
1.
2.
Rip construction paper scraps into small pieces.
Glue the ripped paper onto the cardboard in the
shape of an igloo.
Activity
Age: 3 plus
Invite local parents and Elders to build an igloo at the childcare centre.
(Two are needed for the game.) The children will also enjoy spending time
in the snow houses.
56
Angry Man
12
This is a story about an angry and jealous man who watched his wife’s
every move.
Long ago, there was a man who was always cross with his wife. He was
cross with her when he was preparing to go hunting. He was cross with her
when he returned from hunting. He was always angry with her. He wanted
to own her completely. He did not like it when she was with other people;
he became very jealous. He was a very angry and jealous person.
The man kept watch on his wife’s every move. He watched her while he
got ready to go hunting. He watched her as he climbed into his qayaq. He
watched her as he paddled away from shore.
The woman became very, very tired of her husband’s watchfulness. And she
became very, very tired of her husband’s anger and jealousy. The woman
became qivittuq.
One day the woman spied her husband paddling home in his qayaq, coming
home from a hunt. As usual her husband was already watching her.
Near the woman were some men playing pattaq
[catch-ball], so she decided to go watch them play.
Her husband could see this. Eventually, she headed
towards the shore. She wanted her husband to think
that she was on her way to help him.
As she walked toward the shore, the woman
braided her long hair. At the shore, she waited
on an innaaruq [rock cliff], still braiding her hair.
She was still braiding it when her husband came
ashore, and grabbed her by the hair. The
woman fell over the innaaruq and plunged
into the water, taking her husband with
her.
57
In the water, the woman turned instantly into
an allanguaq [narwhal]; her long braid became
the narwhal’s tusk.
Her husband cried, “I love you so much, come
to me!”
To which the woman replied, “Since you love me so much, and are so jealous,
you can follow me to the bottom of the sea!”
As soon as she spoke those words, her husband transformed into a kanajuraq
[sculpin].
Afterword
The woman got so sick and tired of being constantly watched by her husband that she turned into a narwhal.
To this day, narwhal’s tusk reminds us of the woman’s braid.
Words
Allanguaq .......... narwhal
Innaaruq ............ cliff, sharp rise of rock
Qivittuq .............. frustrated to the point of giving up
Sea Mammals:
Aarluq ................ killer whale
Aiviq ................... walrus
Arviq................... bowhead whale
Natsiq ................. seal
Qilalugaq ........... beluga
Utjuq .................. bearded seal
Salt Water Fish:
Aanak ................. rainbow trout
Iqaluk ................. any kind of fish
Iqaluppiq............ arctic char
Kanajuraq .......... sculpin
Saamak............... salmon
Uugaq ................ cod fish
Uuttuq................ A seal lying [basking[ on the ice or on land.
Ugjuit ................. [bearded seals] and aiviit [walrus] also bask on land or ice.
58
Song
Fish Word Chant
Did you know?
Repeat the word sequences from the definitions.
Can you make them sound like a rhyme?
Can you create a tune for them?
Aarluq [killer whale]: These sea
mammals surface like belugas,
but their maktaq [whale skin]
is black. Aarluit are feared by
seals, but not by walrus. They
have sharp teeth.
Aanak ............rainbow trout
Iqaluk.............any kind of fish
Natsiq [seal]: The meat is used
for food, the skin is used to
make clothing and kayak
coverings. Seal fat is rendered
into misiraq [seal oil].
Iqaluppiq .......arctic char
Kanajuraq......sculpin
Saamak ..........salmon
Uugaq [codfish]: a saltwater
fish, black, with big head and
mouth. Codfish are edible,
even though they do not have
any fat beyond their liver.
Its meat is white, and its roe
[eggs] is shaped like trousers.
Uugaq ............cod fish
Game
Sea animal picture contest
Getting ready
How to play
1.
2.
1.
3.
Collect pictures of sea mammals and saltwater fish.
Learn about sea mammals and saltwater fish: think
about questions the children might have about sea
creatures.
Have the children talk about all they know about
sea animals. Have them carefully look at pictures of
sea animals, and fully describe to them what they
are.
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
Pictures of sea mammals and saltwater fish
Old magazines
Scissors
Glue/Scotch tape
Large sheet of paper (construction or cardboard)
2.
3.
Divide the children into two teams: Aarluq [killer
whale] and Uugaq [cod fish].
Give each team some glue, scotch tape, scissors, old
magazines, and a large sheet of construction paper
(or cardboard), on which they can stick pictures.
Explain that each team must find 10 pictures of
sea mammals or salt-water fish in the magazines,
cut them out, and stick them to the sheet of paper.
The team that finishes first will be declared the
winner. When the leader says ‘GO!’ all the team
members can start searching for suitable pictures in
the magazines.
Tips
While the children are searching the magazines, talk to
them about the sea and the creatures that live in it.
59
Craft
Braiding
Materials
Thick Wool or yarn
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Take three strands of the yarn (about an arm’s length).
Tie a knot at the top end of the yarn.
Attach the tied end to a chair or towel rack.
Show the children how to take alternating pieces to
make a braid.
When they reach almost to the end, help them tie a
knot in the end.
Remove the braid from the chair.
Activity
•
•
•
Infants
Make fish faces for baby by
puckering your mouth and
opening and closing it. See
if baby will imitate your
movements. Pick baby up and
carry around the room with
baby’s head foreword and
tummy resting on forearm.
Pretend that baby is a fish. Smile
at the baby and say the names of
saltwater fish and sea mammals.
Can you make up a rhyme for
baby using the fish names? Can
you make up a rhyme for baby
that includes baby’s own name?
60
•
Make a matching game with
the pictures of fish and sea
mammals. Have the children
match up any pictures that are
the same.
Organize a race with the
Narwhal and codfish teams.
Perhaps they would like to
pretend swim across the floor.
Arrange to have codfish for
lunch.
Perhaps the children would
like to have some frozen
muktuk.
Toddlers
Show toddlers the fish cards.
Place the fish cards on the
ground in front of the toddler.
Name each of the fish. Ask the
toddler to pick up the cards one
by one, and tell you the name of
each fish/sea mammal. If he or
she can’t remember or doesn’t
know the name – then the leader
can say it.
Qayait (kayaks)
13
This story is how Inuit built kayaks in the spring.
In the beautiful springtime, the men hunted seals to get skins for covering
their qajait [kayaks]. The women were in charge of cleaning and preparing
the sealskins so they were ready to be used on the kayaks.
The seals were used for many other purposes, as well. Women made pouches
out of sealskin, and stuffed them with meat, so that the meat could be stored
and eaten later. The men melted down the seal fat to make puuqtait [seal
oil], which was stored in sealskin pouches.
The men melted the seal fat over a fire that was lit in half an old oil drum. It
was the job of the women to gather willow twigs for the fires. Willow was
their only kind of wood to burn. Inuit live where there are no trees.
Sealskins that were going to be used for kayaks were cut in a special way.
The seals were strung up by their front flippers and their belly buttons, and
the skins carefully slit.
The women had to clean all the hair, flesh and fat from the sealskins. To
do this, they heated some water until it was boiling, and then soaked
and swished the skins in the boiling hot water. This process was
called kiatsijuq. Some women were better at the job than
other women. Some women could not do things very
well at all, and some were very good at removing
all the fur and fat from the sealskins without
burning themselves with the boiling water.
They also had to do a lot of scraping to
get all the hair off!
The young women were awakened very early in the
morning to chew the
edges of the skins,
to prepare them for
sewing. Some edges
they had to wetchew [kinitiq] and
61
some edges they dry-chewed [kiiliq]. Then the skins were sewn together
[uigujut]. In the next step, the skins were taken down by the shore to be
washed. Finally, the qajaq frame was placed upside-down on the ground.
Then the skins were laid over the frame, and sewn to it.
The women sewing the skins onto a qajaq would rest their elbows on
comfortable pads, which were made out of caribou skin, stuffed with feathers
or bits of fur.
While they worked, they sometimes chewed on bits of seal that were
considered especially delicious – the front flippers, the tail bones, and the
seal beards.
When the qajait were finished, it was time to go fishing for Arctic char. They
caught the fish in nets set off the shoreline. The men would collect the fish
from the nets, and fasten them securely by their gills on the front and back
of the qajaq with the tarqait [sealskin straps].
Infants
Things to do
Hang a string of buttons above
the infant’s crib (out of baby’s
reach).
Show infants the spinning
Imillutaq.
Make up and sing a little
Imillutaq song for baby.
62
Everyone would go down to the shore to meet the arriving qajait loaded
with fish. If the day was calm and there wasn’t any wind – the air would
be thick with mosquitoes, and everyone would be waving them away from
their faces [aqsaitartuq].
The women would carry the fish up the slope from the shore, and split and
clean them. They would still be furiously waving off the mosquitoes as they
went about sharing the fish with family and community. Inuit lived a very
good life; a life full of joy.
Toddlers
Two-year-olds can string things
with the help of the leaders.
Toddlers can hold a large button
with a big hole while the
supervisor holds the yarn. The
toddler and adult can take turns
threading and holding.
Two-year-olds can be shown how
to put a button in a buttonhole.
Two-year-olds can string big
beads or O-shaped cereal.
63
Words
Arsaitartuq......... the action of waving mosquitoes away
from oneself
Kiatsijuq ............. the process of cleaning sealskin
in boiling water by agitating it
constantly by hand.
Puurtait .............. seal oil kept in a sealskin pouch
Qajaq.................. portable canoe made of a frame
covered with skins
Taqqait ............... sealskin straps
Kiattuq ............... a skin treated by the process of
Kiatsijuq; a prime material for the
making of kamiit [sealskin boots[
Taliruq ................ the front flippers of ringed seals and
bearded seals. Taliruit have claws
which they can use to keep open
holes in the ice for breathing.
Kiiliq ................... dry chewing of sealskins
Uigujut ............... sewn together
Kinitiq ................ wet chewing of sealskins
Ungnguaq .......... a button
Song
Have the children say the
words below:
Imillutaq
Ungnguaq
The children will start by repeating
the words very slowly, and then say
them faster and faster, until they
can no longer say the words.
64
Did you know?
Whistle in Inuttitut is
uvingngiusuttuq
on the Hudson Coast.
Whistle in Inuttitut is
uvingngiatuq
on the Ungava Coast.
Game
Imillutaq (Anurisiutik)
Materials needed
•
•
A button, or a round piece of wood with two holes
in it
Sturdy waxed thread or dental floss, about 60 cm
(2 feet)
How to make
Thread the string through two holes in the button, and
tie the ends of the string together. Position the button
in the centre of the two lengths of string, with the
knot at one extreme end.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
Wet the thread and the button with saliva or
water.
Hold the Imillutaq at the two ends with the button
positioned in the middle.
With hands apart, keeping one hand still, rotate
the other hand rapidly in a circular motion, as if
you are cranking something. The Imillutaq will
whistle a bit as you are winding.
After about 10 seconds of winding, pull your hands
apart to stretch the string. The Imillutaq will make
a whirring or humming sound.
Tips
•
•
When playing with the Imillutaq ask the children:
Can you hear the Imillutaq whistle? Can you hear
the Imillutaq hum?
If you use dental floss to make the Imillutaq, take
the opportunity to talk with the children about
dental floss, and how and why to use it.
65
Craft
Button Necklace
Getting ready
Tips
Talk with the children about buttons and their purposes.
•
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
Buttons for threading
Sturdy yarn or string
Small dishes to hold the buttons
Scissors
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The children should sit for this activity. First, ask
the children to try tying a knot in the end of a
piece of yarn. Show them how to do it. If they
cannot tie a knot, do it for them.
Give each child a fresh piece of yarn or string (preknotted if necessary) and a dish of buttons.
Ask the children to select some buttons for
threading (about 5 to start).
Have the children hold the yarn in one hand, and
thread the end through a hole in a button.
Once the children finish threading the buttons,
they should be encouraged to tie the two ends
of yarn together, if they are able, to make the
necklace. Otherwise, tie it for them.
Safety Tip
Small objects like buttons
should not be available for
infants to play with. Infants
and toddlers could choke on
small objects. Loose buttons
and small objects should
be kept out of infants’ and
toddlers’ reach.
66
While working with the buttons, practice counting:
1 button, 2 buttons and so on.
Also, the leader can ask:
–
How many buttons do you have?
–
How many buttons are on your button
necklace?
–
What colours are the buttons on your
necklace?
(The leader can help the child with the counting
questions by pointing to each button and naming
the number or colour word.)
Activity
Button Picture
Age: 3 plus
Getting ready
Materials
1.
•
•
•
2.
3.
The leader first explains to the children why
buttons are used. The leader can show a button,
and demonstrate how a buttonhole works. If
the children are wearing buttons, encourage the
children to touch the buttons, and try to operate
them.
Roll two or three buttons on the floor, and have
the children crawl on all fours in a race to get to
the buttons first.
Be sure you pick a space clear and safe for the
button race. Make sure that there are not any
toddlers or infants in the play area.
Buttons, as many as possible
Glue or sticking tape
Cardboard or construction paper
How to make
1
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Have all the children sit in a circle on the floor.
Explain that they will be pasting buttons on to the
cardboard.
Give each child some glue and have buttons
available.
The leader first demonstrates how a button is
glued to paper. All the flat side of the button
is coated with glue, then it is pressed on to the
paper.
Encourage the children to glue all the buttons they
have to the cardboard. They can make a pattern, if
they wish.
Let the glue dry. Write the child’s name on their
artwork.
Tips
•
•
Test the glue before use to make sure the buttons
stick well. You may want to choose white glue or a
good quality glue stick.
When the button board is complete, ask:
–
What can you tell me about your button
picture?
–
What colours are the buttons?
–
What are buttons used for?
Note
Threading buttons promotes fine motor development
as well as eye hand coordination.
67
68
To the Church in Kuujjuaraapik
14
This is a story about how Inuit lived after the arrival of the first missionaries
and before the Inuit had big boats, snowmobiles and communities with
ministers and churches.
The church in Kuujjuaraapik
A long time ago, there was only one church to serve all the Inuit on the coast
of Hudson Bay. That church was in Kuujjuaraapik. Inuit from all along the
coast would travel to Kuujjuaraapik to go to church. People traveled from as
far north as Salluit. They also came from camps around Ivujivik, Puvirnituq,
and Inukjuak.
Eventually, the other communities along the coast had their own churches
and had their own ministers. But before that, some people had to travel
very long distances to go to church.
Inuit attended church only in the winter. They could not get to church in
the spring because they did not have big boats yet. In the winter, they could
travel by dog team when the ice was hard.
In those days, everyone traveled to Kuujjuaraapik, even the very old people.
Some people were poor. The poor people had only a two- or three-dog team
for traveling to Kuujjuaraapik. At that time Inuit wore caribou and sealskin
69
clothes. In the winter they wore kamiks on their feet, which went up to their
knees. Some people became very sick on the trip, and died.
While travelling to Kuujjuaraapik, the hunters were always on the lookout
for seals. When a hunter harpooned a seal, the dog team was sent off to
find another seal hole. When a seal was caught and killed, the traveling
group stopped for the night. While the hunter prepared the seal for eating,
the men built an igloo around the hunter. After the igloo was finished, the
travelers gathered inside the igloo to eat. Following the feast of fresh seal
meat, the people wanted to smoke and drink tea so they made tea with
rosemary, and chewed tobacco.
The Inuit tried to get back north to their homelands before the ice began
to melt. If spring came quickly and the ice began to melt, they would have
to set up camp and wait for the ice to melt completely. While they waited,
they would make kayaks. Then they completed their trip home by kayak on
the open water.
Words
Amautik ................. woman’s parka with a pouch in the back for baby
Kamik ..................... sealskin boot
Mamaittuquti ........ Labrador Tea
Tarramigautik ........ seal hunting screen
Tuksiavik ................ church
70
Life on the land
In the springtime people moved to the islands, so
they could hunt for seals and make kayaks from
their skins. In the spring, men wore parkas made
from big flour bags, and rabbit skin hats. They
also used the big white flour bags to make seal
hunting blinds, called tarramigautik. Hiding behind
the white cloth, the hunters were able to sneak
up very close to the seals.
In the springtime, the Inuit cut up their winter
kamiks to make kneepads. On their feet they wore
waterproof kamiks.
In the summertime, Inuit moved inland and lived there for the season. They
hunted caribou, fished, and picked berries.
During the fall they moved again, this time to a place where they could find
fuel such as moss and willow. They collected lots of fuel, so they would have
enough to last a long time. They stored the fuel in several locations. Inuit
tents were kept full of plenty of moss and
willow fuel.
During the coldest days of winter, Inuit
moved to the inland lakes where they
could fish and be close to a supply of
fresh water. They continued fishing
until it was time to travel back south
to Kuujjuaraapik to go to church. This
cycle of life went on until missionaries
had built churches throughout the Inuit homeland, and
Inuit no longer had to travel
to Kuujjuaraapik to go to
church.
71
Song
Unataga tuksiavik (here is a church)
Getting ready
Ask the children about their experiences with church; for example:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Do you go to church?
What do you do when you are inside a church?
What is the name of the Minister of your church?
On what day of the week do you go to church?
Do you sing at church?
Can you sing us a song that you sing at church?
Unataga tuksiavik
Unattautaga tuksiaviup sanningajulinga
Ukkuanga ukkuilugu
Ukuataga Inuit!
Tips
You can sing this song, using fingers to act out the words.
1.
2.
3.
72
With your hands palm side towards you, slip fingers from one hand
into fingers from the other.
(Here is the church)
Turn your hands over lifting index finger together until the tips touch
to form a steeple.
(Here is the steeple)
Keeping fingers together open thumbs and wiggle inside fingers !!!
(Open the doors and see all the people.)
Song
Kuujjuaraapimmut qimutsisutik
tuksiariarpalaurtut
Getting ready
This song is sung to the tune of one of Ullautut’s songs, called
Qimmiapigaliinna Naunginnas. It is about the time when Inuit used to go
to church in Kuujjuaraapik by dog team.
Kuujjuaraapimmut qimutsisutik
Tuksiariarpalaurtut
Ajuinnasutik tarramiut
Tuksiariarsutillu
Salluit Ivujivik Puvirnituq
Inukjuamiullu
Tuksiariarpatuviniit
Kuujjuaraapimmut!
Infants
Put baby on your back in a baby
carrier such as an amautik. Carry
baby on back and sing the song
about the trip to Kuujjuaraapik.
Toddlers
Toddlers can try to do the
finger play. They can use a small
amautik to carry a doll on their
backs and sing the song about
the trip to Kuujjuaraapik.
73
Game
Ujaraaluit uqumaittualuit
katairqaangiliutigutaujut
(big heavy rocks: a contest to see who can hold the
rock the longest.) Age: 3 plus
Materials
•
•
Rock a size that 3- and 4-year-old children can
hold.
Prepared name-tags on small rocks or sticks (for
marking drop spots).
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pick a rock that is not too heavy to be held by
the children in the group. Prepare a place to play
the game outside. Clearly mark a starting and a
finishing line.
Show the children the selected rock. Ask the
children some questions about the rock:
– What is it?
– How can this rock be used?
– Is the rock heavy?
– Let the children express all their thoughts
relating to rocks.
Show the children how to drop the rock safely.
Tell the children about the steps to playing this
game.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Did you know?
A long time ago, parents
arranged marriages for their
children. A woman might not
even meet her husband before
her wedding day. Once a man
and a woman were married,
they stayed together forever
and ever. A man who was a
good hunter could have two
wives. Inuit had to work hard
in order to survive.
74
7.
This game is played outside.
The players will line up. Each player will take a
turn trying to lift the rock and put it down – safely.
(Any players who are unable to pick up the rock
and drop it safely should watch the game from the
sidelines.)
All selected players will form a line.
The first player will hold the rock with two hands
behind the starting line.
The leader starts the game by saying “Atai”.
On the signal the player begins to walk without
dropping the rock to the finish line.
If the player drops the rock he/she is Out. The
leader marks the place where each player drops
the rock with one of the prepared name-tag rocks
or sticks.
The child who carries the rock the farthest without
dropping it, or the children who carry the rock
across the finish line are the strongest. They are
pisitik [able].
Tips
•
•
This game is good large-motor activity. It is played
outdoors.
Be sure to show the children how to drop the rock
and move safely away.
Craft
Making props to act out the story about the
trip to the church in Kuujjuaraapik
Getting ready
How to make
1.
Plan with the children in small groups or individually
how they can make the items they have decided to
make. Work out simple steps to make each item,
supervise carefully and be available to help the children
as they create their props.
2.
3.
4.
5.
After telling the story about traveling to the
church to Kuujjuaraapik, ask the children to think
about what they remember from the story.
Ask the children to think about what they would
need if they were going to act out the story.
Help the children prepare a list of the things they
would need to act out the story.
Look over the list and select with the children some
items that could be made in the classroom.
Plan a trip outside to assemble any of the items
that could be found outside.
Materials
•
•
•
•
Glue
Scissors
Material
Cardboard
Use whatever materials are available to make the items
on the children’s list. In the childcare setting, children
and leaders may need to bring in items from home.
Think hard and use your imagination to make and
assemble things from the materials available to you,
without ordering from the catalogue and/ or going to
the store.
75
Activity
Encourage the children to re-enact the trip to Kuujjuaraapik
using the props they have made and other items pulled
together from home and school.
The leader can prepare a set of activity cards about the trip
to the church in Kuujjuaraapik. An idea for 4 cards is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
76
The dog teams are traveling across the frozen ice.
Inuit are seal hunting while the dogs are looking for seal
holes.
Inuit are attending church in Kuujjuaraapik. The dogs are
standing outside the church.
The dog teams are traveling through mushy ice water.
The Man Called Ittualua
15
Long ago, three men were out hunting. One of the men was called Ittualua.
Ittualua was a man who people noticed. Ittualua was a man who did not smile.
Ittualua was a man who did not laugh. Ittualua was a very serious man.
Ittualua had two hands, two thumbs and seven fingers. Ittualua was missing
the middle finger on one of his hands. Nobody can remember which hand
was missing a finger. It was said that Ittualua’s missing finger was buried
near his birthplace in Qikiartajuaq.
Long ago, when these three men were out hunting, they had the good
fortune to catch a sea mammal. It was a ringed seal. The hunters were very
hungry, and they started eating right away. They ate and ate until they could
eat no more.
When one of the men finished eating, he looked for a rag on which to wipe
his dirty hands. Suddenly he turned to the sour-faced Ittualua and said, “You
would make a good rag. Let me use you to wipe my hands.” The man who
said this to Ittualua was trying to make a joke. He was trying to be funny.
Ittualua did not think the man was funny. Ittualua did not want to be called
a rag. Ittualua did not like those words.
He was mad. He was really angry. Ittualua started to fight the man. The fight
took place near a small pond. The two men fought until Ittualua pushed the
man’s head into the water and tried to drown him.
The man did not drown. But from that day forward, he never spoke an
unkind word to anyone. Not even as a joke.
Tip
Follow up this story with a talk about feelings. Invite the children to speak about feeling mad. Ask the children to
identify things they can do when they feel angry, such as: count to five; talk about their feelings; go for a walk.
Words
Anniturtuq ......... a male or female Inuk who catches
any kind of animal or fish for food
Tikiq ................... the pointer or index finger; located
beside the thumb
Putjuit ................ fingertips
Kulluq................. thumb
Finger names:
Mikiliraq............. the ring finger, located between the
middle and baby fingers.
Iqirquq ............... the baby finger; the shortest, thinnest
finger
Qitirsiq ............... the middle finger, the longest of the
five fingers.
77
Song
Kulluq Kulluq Naniippit
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Teach the children the names of the fingers. Touch each finger and say
the name. The Inuttitut names of the fingers are written in the word
section.
The leader sings the song first, showing the finger motions. The
children can join in when they feel comfortable.
Start the song with your two hands behind your back.
As each of the fingers is called in the song, bring the finger out to
show the group. For example, at the words Kulluq Kulluq, hold up your
thumbs. At the word Tikiq, hold up your index fingers.
The song is sung to the tune of Frère Jacques.
Kulluq Kulluq
Kulluq Kulluq
Naaniiippit? Naaniiippit?
Maaniippunga Maaniioounga Qaanuippisi?
Tikiq Tikiq
Tikiq Tikiq
Naaniippit? Naaniiippit?
Maaniippunga Maaniippunga Qaanuippisi?
Qitirsiiq Qitirsiiq
Qitirsiiq Qitirsiiq
Maaniippunga Manniippunga Qaanuippisi?
Mikiliraq Mikiliraq
Mikiliraq Mikiliraq
Infants and
Toddlers
Parents and children will like
to see handprints. To make
handprints, pour some paint
into a pie plate (see paint recipe
under Craft). Place the child’s
hand flat in the paint. Then press
the hand flat onto a piece of
paper. Put the child’s name on
the front/back of the paper and
let dry.
78
Maaniippiunga Maaniipunga Qaanuippisi?
Iqirquuq Iqirquuq
Iqirquuq Iqirquuq
Maaniippunga Maaniippunga Qaanuippisi?
Game
Inugait Qaliariit (Finger Game)
Age: 4 plus
Number of players – 1 plus
How to play
1.
2.
3.
Craft
Place both your hands behind your back.
When the leader says, ‘GO!’ the players place fingertips together, starting
with the little finger. (Fingertips of same fingers from opposite hands meet
– little finger is first, and therefore at the bottom, then ring finger, middle
finger, index finger and thumb.)
Try to finish as fast as possible. The first person with all fingertips touching is
the winner.
Finger-Painting
Getting ready
To finger-paint
1.
2.
1.
2.
Prepare the paints
Set up table with paint and paper
Materials
•
•
•
•
½ cup water
½ cup flour
food colouring/ powder paint/acrylic paint
heavy paper
To prepare paint
Mix together flour and water
Add colour
3.
4.
Children put on old shirts or painting aprons
Children sit at a table on which the prepared
paints are available for their selection and the
heavy paper has been placed.
Children or leader scoop a small handful of paint
onto the center of the paper, and the children
swish the paint around with their hands.
Have soap and water ready for a careful
handwashing when the painting is done.
Tips
Children might like to make fingerprint people. To
do this, show them how to insert a fingertip in the
paint, and place the fingertip on clean paper. When
the fingerprint is dry, the children can draw around it
to make a fingerprint figure. Perhaps they could make
Ittualua.
79
Game
Iqirlitiq Qanirmut (Making suction noises with
the mouth) Age: for all
How to Iqirlitiq
Iqirlitiqtuq describes the process of puckering the lips
and cheeks to make suction sounds with the mouth.
(These sounds can be very funny and joyous).
The person’s mouth is twisted and contorted to make
suction-like sounds. Have the children make the sound.
Encourage the children to have fun and Iqirlitiq.
Getting ready
Tip
Explain to the children the meaning of Iqirlitiqtuq,
and once they understand it, have them practice the
activity.
This game is great exercise for the mouth. It is fun to
hear the sounds.
Activity
Arsaaraq
Age: 3 plus
Number of players: 2 at a time
How to play
Materials
1.
2.
•
•
One piece of wood that fits comfortably in the
hand.
Rope or rawhide thong; arms length
Getting ready
Firmly attach the rope or thong around the middle of
the piece of piece of wood
3.
Two players sit on the floor facing each other.
One of the players, called Irlituq, grasps the wood
with one or two hands, and holds it close to their
chest. The other player takes hold of the rope,
and tries to pull the first player’s arm to a fully
extended position. The first player loses when their
arm is fully extended.
The winner keeps on playing until he/she loses,
taking on any others who also try to pull out his/
her arm. Only by losing will a player be eliminated
from play.
Note
This game is a good gross motor activity.
Did you know?
Police use fingerprints to
identify people. Everybody
in the world has different
fingerprints.
80
Inugagulliq
16
A long time ago, there was an Inuk dwarf [Inugagulliq] who was tracking a
fox. He was following the fox’s footprints. He followed the fox’s footprints
down a steep hill. He followed the fox’s footprints along the side of a small
creek. He followed the fox’s footprints up into a grassy meadow.
Just a few minutes ahead on the path, there was an Inuk hunter who was
tracking a fox. He was following the fox’s footprints. He followed the footprints
down a steep hill. He followed the fox’s footprints along the side of a small
creek. He followed the fox’s footprints up into a grassy meadow.
The Inuk hunter caught the fox first. And so when the Inugagulliq came
along, he saw that the Inuk hunter already had the fox. The Inugagulliq said
to the Inuk hunter, “I have small children at home. Would you be so kind as
to share with me the Mimiq [thigh] of the fox so I can feed my family?
The Inuk hunter refused the request of the Inugagulliq. He said no, even
though the Inugagulliq wanted only one thigh, which would be enough for
the small man’s family.
When the Inuk hunter refused his request, the Inugagulliq was very unhappy.
And he was actually an Inugagulliq shaman, so he cast a spell on the Inuk
hunter. He said, “Aarlulutit Aittarit” [Face the sky and open your mouth.]
81
The Inuk hunter immediately turned his
face skyward and opened his mouth wide.
The hunter who had refused to share
the fox with the Inugagulliq and his
hungry family had been cursed by
the shaman’s spell.
The Inuk hunter headed back to
his camp. He walked through the
grassy meadow with his face
turned skyward and his mouth
wide open. He walked along
the creek with his face turned
skyward and his mouth wide
open. He walked up the steep
hill with his face turned skyward
and his mouth wide open.
All the way back to his home,
the Inuk hunter walked with his
face turned skyward and his
mouth was wide open.
Finally, the Inuk hunter who
had refused to give the Mimiq
of a fox to the Inugagulliq
with a hungry family returned
to camp. He went inside his
tent, and only then did his
head face forward and his
mouth close shut.
He had been cursed by the
Inugagulliq.
82
Words
Aarlungajuq....... when a person’s head keeps on
looking toward the sky.
Aarlutuq............. when a person looks skyward toward
the stars and the sun, and his/her
head inclines upward.
Akianut .............. other side
Inugagulliq ........ dwarf
Tujjasijuq ............ tracking
Tuktuq ................ caribou; a land animal which was of
great use to our Inuit ancestors. Its fur
was used for clothing, and its meat
used for food. Its tendons were used
for thread, and its skins were used as
tents.
Tumiit ................. footprints
Mimiq ................. thigh
Did you know?
Sharing food is a basic part of
Inuit life. When Inuit hunt and
fish the food is shared with
friends, family and community.
Sharing food is a part of the
Inuit way of life.
Song
Tuktuq Tuktuq Niqiqarpit
Tuktuq Tuktuq Niqiqarpit?
Marik Marik Niqiqarpunga
Ataataullu Anaanaullu Turusiapiullu
Nirigatsanganik!
Tips
•
•
•
•
When preparing for the song, talk to the children about caribou. Show the
children pictures of caribou and caribou tracks.
Ask the children to share with you their own caribou stories and
experiences.
The tune of this song is the same as the song called Natsiq Natsiq
Qisiqarpit.
If you know of other caribou tunes, this might be a good time to share
them with the children.
83
Game
Ajagaq
(Fox Head)
Age: 4 plus
Materials
Kulluq, Kulluq
•
•
Kulluq, Kulluq Naaniippiit?
•
•
•
Head of a fox
Thread from caribou or beluga whale tendon, or
any other string, about 20 cm long.
A bone or a stick 15 cm long
Shaver blade for cutting
Sandpaper
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Boil the head of a fox.
Remove all flesh from fox’s head.
Perforate holes in fox skull with a knife or a metal
nail.
Using a shaver, shape a point on the bone or stick.
The point must fit into the small holes in the fox
skull. Smooth the point with sandpaper.
Tie one end of the string to the dull end of the
stick or bone.
Tie the other end of the string to the back of the
fox skull.
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
84
Lyrics for the Kulluq Kulluq song
People can play this game either seated or
standing. It can be played by one person, or as
many as you like.
First, teach the children about the names of the
different fingers: thumb, index, middle, ring, and
little finger.
Sing along with them the Kulluq Kulluq song
(below). When you sing, start with the thumb, and
finish with the little finger.
Maaniippunga Maaniippunga!
Qaanuippisi?
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Hold the dull end of the stick in one hand and let
the skull dangle on the string. Using only the hand
holding the Ajagaq game, try to insert the pointy
end of the stick into one of the holes in the fox’s
skull.
The first time a player pins the stick into a hole, he/
she has to say, ‘Kulluat.’ ( See counting chart)
Once a player has attained ‘Kulluat’, he/she tries
for the next number on chart, ‘Tikkiat’. If he/she is
not successful, another player takes a turn.
When a player has counted through the fingers
on his right hand, he says “#6 ‘Akianut’” before
continuing with the left hand.
Use the numbering chart to count up the number
of consecutive successful tries. The first player to
reach 26 is the champion.
Tip
This game will carry on over many days. It can be used
as a way to encourage counting, naming fingers and
toes, and developing memory skills.
Make a counting chart (as shown) on a large sheet of cardboard.
Counting Chart
The names of the fingers on your hand:
Right hand
#1
Kulluat (Thumb)
#2
Left Hand
#7
Kulluat (Thumb)
Tikkiat (Index)
#8
Tikkiat (Index)
#3
Qitirsiat (Middle)
#9
Qitirsiat (Middle)
#4
Mikiliat (Ring)
#10 Mikiliat (Ring)
#5
Iqirquat (Little)
#11 Iqirquat (Little)
#6
Akianut (other side)
#12 Akianut (other side)
The names of the toes on your feet:
Right foot
#13 Putuguat (Big toe)
Left Foot
#19 Putuguat (Big toe)
#14 Tikkiat
#20 Tikkiat
#15 Qitirsiat
#21 Qitirsiat
#16 Mikiliat
#22 Mikiliat
#17 Iqirquat
#23 Iqirquat
Ending numbers #24 Sanningit, #25 Pilungit #26 Uningit
85
Craft
Sponge Printing
Getting ready
Tips
1.
•
2.
Pre-cut sponges to make various interesting
shapes.
Attach a clothes peg to the centre of each sponge.
•
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
Sponges
Clothes pegs
Empty margarine containers
Acrylic paint
Paper
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pour a shallow layer of paint into plastic margarine
tub;
Child picks up a sponge shape by clothes peg
handle;
Child dips sponge flat into paint;
Child presses sponge onto paper to make a print.
Infants
Make baby footprints. You can
make a keepsake footprint by
placing baby’s foot into a plaster
mixture. Pour a shallow layer
of smooth thick plaster mixture
into a disposable container, and
then press the sole of the baby’s
foot briefly into the wet plaster.
Clean the baby’s foot right away!
Let the plaster dry completely in
the container, then remove it,
and label the footprint with the
baby’s name.
86
•
You can set a clothesline in the room for drying
the children’s artwork. Simply use clothes pegs to
attach the work to the line.
Always remember to write the child’s name on the
back of his/her work.
When dry, the artwork can be posted for all to
enjoy, or stored in a folder to be taken home
– daily, weekly or monthly.
Activity
Tracking Footprints
Indoor activity
Materials needed
•
•
•
•
Pictures of animal tracks and animals
Paper
Pencil (or pen)
Feet of small children
Tips
•
•
Encourage children to talk about their tracking
experiences.
Set up a viewing table with samples and pictures of
animal tracks.
Show the children pictures of animals and their tracks.
Trace the outline of the children’s feet onto paper.
Outdoor Activity
Getting ready
Toddlers
Be sure that everyone has appropriate clothing for an
outdoor activity.
To do this tracking activity
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The leader explains that the children are going
outside to search for tracks.
Have the children search for tracks from any kind
of animal. Be ready to identify the tracks the
children find.
After the animal track search is over, have the
children make some tracks of their own.
Encourage the children to follow the tracks of
other children.
After the game of tracking is over, the children can
return inside and draw pictures of the tracks they
have just seen, including their own.
Materials
•
Roll of drawing paper
•
2 pie plates
•
Paint
•
Soapy water
•
Basin
•
Towels
Take a long roll of paper (several
meters in length). Lay out the
paper in a corridor. At one end of
the paper, place two pie plates of
paint. At the other end, place a
basin of warm, soapy water. One
at a time, the toddlers will step
barefoot into the paint (one foot
in each plate) and then walk the
length of the paper. When they
reach the other end, they step
into the soapy water to clean
their feet, and then dry them
with a towel.
87
88
Nunamiut: Inuit on the Land
17
In the days before Inuit had four-wheelers and motor-powered boats for
summer travel, they traveled by foot and by kayak. In the late spring and
summer, they traveled inland in search of caribou. Sometimes they walked
and paddled great distances.
When the caribou hunting party were traveling along a river or lake, the
men paddled the kayaks on the water [qajartutuit], while the women walked
along the shore [qutiruqtuit]. Their dogs walked along with them, tied on
leashes [tasiguartuq].
Inuit carried all of their belongings with them when they traveled. The dogs
carried packs on their backs. The women carried the young children on their
backs. When the men had to travel over land to reach the next lake or river,
they carried their kayaks on their heads [maqittuq], their small sons on their
shoulders, and packs on their backs.
89
When the hunters found caribou, they stopped and set up camp. Then they
ate fresh caribou meat and caribou fat [tunnuq]. They also stored tunnuq
for later use, and dried caribou meat to make nikkuq.
They scraped and cleaned the
caribou skins, chewed them to make
them soft, and sewed them to make
clothing.
When they had finished all the work
of drying the meat, and cleaning,
smoothing, drying and sewing the
skins, they packed up everything and
traveled back towards the coast.
Song
Qulippa
This is a song to sing while juggling. See the instructions for the juggling
game that follow this song.
Qulippaq Qulippaq
Juittuq Uuma Ainni Vaatit
Tigunnivaatit Kailittaa Kailittakuu
Kailittaa Kakakakailittaa
Atsanullu Nannunullu
Katittanullu Avalluvaa Avalluvaa
Avullu Taima Puirvalaavuq
Infants
Avullu Taima Puirvalaavuq
Juattalii Juattalii
Place a caribou skin fur-side-up
on the floor. Place baby on the
skin to lie and play.
Place some caribou knuckles in
a container to make a caribouknuckle rattle. Shake the rattle
for baby to hear.
90
Avalujuattalii Avalujuajuajuattalii
Alaqara Marruunik Alaqatsiaralii
Pingasunik Uvangali Atausirmik Pinginguaqaqpakama
This song is supposed to be sung while juggling. The juggler has to
juggle and sing at the same time. If, while still singing, you drop a
stone, start over again. The juggling game that goes with the song
is called Illukitaartuq.
Words
Nikkuq: .............. dried meat
Tunnuq: ............. caribou fat
Caribou Words
Nurralaaq: ......... a newborn caribou calf
Nurrariik Nurralik: ............ a female caribou together with her calf
Nurraituq: ......... a female caribou without a calf
Kummalik: ......... a young male caribou; buck
Panniq: .............. a full-grown caribou bull; its large antlers show its
maturity
Najjuituq: .......... a caribou bull that has lost its antlers
Natjuq: .............. caribou antlers
Game
Illukitaartuq
Materials
Two balls of the same size, or, two stones or two
beanbags.
Age: 3 plus
Tips
•
•
•
How to play
1.
2.
3.
Hold ball in one hand, toss it in the air, and catch it
with the same hand.
Practice tossing the ball from one hand to the
other.
Try with two balls. Start with one ball in each
hand; throw one ball in the air, and at the same
time, pass the second ball to the opposite
hand; then catch the first ball with the
passing hand. Keep going as long as
possible.
The steps provided are sequential: master step 1
before moving onto step 2, then 3.
The better you become at handling one ball, the
easier it will be to handle two.
This game is very good for developing manual
dexterity (motion of fingers and hands).
Toddlers
Take the toddlers down to a flat
place at the riverside where they
can stand easily and safely near
the edge. Let the children select
rocks small enough for them
to toss easily, into the moving
water.
Tip
When near the water, be sure
that you have one adult for
every two toddlers to assure the
children’s safety.
91
Game
Tuktuit Inugangnguangit (Caribou Bones)
Age: 3 plus
Materials
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Caribou bones (from the feet or hooves)
A pair of mitts, or a pair of kamiik [sealskin boots]
Sturdy string
Knife or uluk
Cooking pot, or pail
Soap
Cleaned caribou bones
String
Mitt or boot
How to make
1.
2.
Cook caribou feet (hooves) in boiling water. When
cooked, remove the fur and meat (cartilage) with a
knife or uluk. (Eat the edible parts.)
Remove the knucklebones, place them in a pot of
water with soap, and soak for a long time. Change
the soapy water occasionally. When no odour
remains, lay the caribou bones out to dry.
Getting ready
How to play
Ask the children to talk all they want about caribou.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Place the caribou knucklebones inside a boot or a
mitt.
Tie a noose on the end of the string, then lower
the noose into the mitt.
The leader places the mitt on a shoulder, and
shakes and rattles the bones.
The first player tries to retrieve a knucklebone
from the mitt by pulling on the string. If the player
has been able to snag and remove a bone, he may
have another turn. If not, a second player gets a
turn.
The player who retrieves the greatest number of
bones is “pisitik” – the best player.
Tip
Arrange to have a soup made with caribou bones
for lunch on the day you are playing this game.
You can talk further about caribou while enjoying a
delicious caribou soup.
92
Craft
Making Props
The idea of this craft is to provide the children the
opportunity to make materials to help retell the story
of traveling up the river in search of inland caribou.
Getting ready
Speak with the children about the story and make a list
of things they would like to make to help them retell
the story.
Age4 plus
How to make
Make patterns to help guide the children in this
activity. If they want to make a pretend object such as
a caribou scraper, help them prepare a list of materials
they will need, and help them make an outline of the
steps they will take to make the item.
Provide the children with plenty of support, but try to
encourage the children to plan and execute the work
themselves.
Materials
The materials will be based on the list created with the
children but will likely include:
•
•
•
•
•
Scissors
Cloth
Cardboard
Caribou skin
Colouring markers
Did you know?
Qutirurtuq describes an Inuk
walking on land, following
the shoreline, while his fellow
travelers go by qajait on the
water; the walkers are called
Qutirurtuit, and the qayaq
travelers, Qayartutuit.
Inuit made tents, rafts and
qajait with caribou skin.
Even if one or two people
found, killed, butchered and
prepared a caribou, it was
always shared with the group.
Women walked even when
they were pregnant. When
the baby was born, travel was
interrupted for one night, and
the families would continue
walking the next day.
Mothers never left their
babies. Babies were always
carried along on their mother’s
backs.
93
94
Activity
Set up a summer tent outside
The list below includes equipment that Inuit campers
and hunters use in the summer time. Perhaps you can
make some pretend items and find some real ones to
create a summer camping play area suitable for young
children.
Tip
Summer season hunting equipment
and accessories:
You can fry caribou meat in a pan – on the stove or
outside on an open fire.
You can make nikkuq by cutting thin strips of fresh
caribou meat and hanging it on a line to dry. Turn the
meat over after a few hours. Keep turning until it is
dry.
Pautiik ................ paddles
Kajak .................. kayak
Tupiq .................. tent
Qanaq ................ tent pole
Ukkuaq............... door
Savik ................... knife
Agiaq.................. metal file
Uluk (ulu) ........... woman’s knife
Ipitsautik ............ blade sharpener
Atiraq ................. scraping board
Kiluutaq ............. skin scraper
Alliniq................. sleeping mat or mattress
Qipiik.................. blanket
Akitik.................. pillow
Aggajaak............ gloves
Ikirnguat ............ duffel stockings
Tiiliurutik ........... tea kettle
Qalurautik.......... spoon
Urviujaq ............. Spoon
(Ungava dialect)
Ajatsautik/
Kapuqqautik ...... fork
Kamialuuk.......... rubber boots
Kanaarittuuk ..... hip waders
Kanaakittuuk ..... shoes
Warning
Be sure that children
around the outside fire
are well supervised and
always maintain a safe
distance from the flames.
95
96
Salt Water Inuit and Big Skin Boats
18
Salt water Inuit made boats using the skin of bearded seals [utjuit]. The men
made the frame for the boat from wood. The women sewed the skins to
make the hull. They used sewing thread made from braided caribou tendon.
This made a very strong thread, so strong that it could hold together the
big skin boat.
The big boats were made with the skins of the bearded seal. When preparing
a skin to make the boat, the skin was split into layers. The Inuit call this
ikiarsijuq.
The big skin boats were called umiatuinnaaluit. They were big so that they
could be used to travel safely on the ocean. They were also used on big
rivers. They were used for long distance travel.
Dogs pulled the big skin boats. It took many dogs to pull one boat. Avatait
[floats] were attached to the dogs’ ropes to prevent them from sinking or
becoming knotted, tangled, and caught on rocks.
97
Words
Kivijuq ................ sink
Uujuq ................. meat from any animal which is
cooked, boiled in water in a pot, or
cooked over a fire.
Natsiq ................. seal
Utjuk .................. bearded seal
Patiq ................... bone marrow
Uunaalik............. cooked dried caribou tendon with
back fat.
Avataq................ a float, attached to the harpoon line,
so that a harpooned animal is not lost.
Puttajuq ............. float
Taliruq ................ the front flipper of a seal
Tunnuq ............... caribou fat
Song
Natsilaurama Pingasunik
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Speak with the children about eating seals and boiling seal meat to
eat.
Invite the children to share seal stories.
When introducing the song, have the children listen once and then
invite them to join in.
Natsilaurama Pingaasunik !
Natsilaurama Pingaasunik !
Uujurtulaurta Uujurtulaurta !
Uuju Uuju Uuju !
Infants
The small seal bones can be
placed in a container with a
cover and shaken to make a
rattle.
Did you know?
The Inuit who lived inland caught caribou, and
brought great bundles of tunnuq [caribou fat],
uunaalik [cooked, dried caribou tendon with back
fat], and patiq [bone marrow] to the Inuit who lived
on the sea coast. The Inuit of the coast were joyous
to receive such delicious gifts.
Sometimes Inuit would use smoke signals to
communicate with Inuit at other camps that were a
distance away.
98
Game
Matching Seal Flipper Bones
How to play
Materials
1.
2.
•
•
•
•
•
Front flipper [taliruq] of a seal
A mitt or a sack to contain the bones
Pot
Pail
Soap
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Cook the front flipper of a seal to boiling.
When it is cooked, eat all the meat and cartilage,
and pick the bones clean.
Put the bones in warm water, and soak them for a
whole day.
The next day, drain the water, replace with fresh
water and add soap. Soak the bones for another
whole day in the soap mixture to get rid it of any
odours.
Drain the water, rinse and lay the bones out to dry
and to de-odorize.
3.
4.
5.
Age: 3 plus
Have all the children sit on the floor in a circle.
Put the seal bones in a mitt or a sack, and shake
and rattle them.
Scatter the bones onto the floor.
The children will then search for bones that match
in shape and size. When they find two that match,
make sure to say the names of the bones (if you
know them). The children can make a pile of the
matching bones that they find.
The search goes on until all of the bones on the
floor have been matched.
Tip
This game is good for learning to speak, and learning
to remember.
Getting ready
Show the bones to the children. Encourage the children
to notice similarities and differences.
Toddlers
Inuttitut names of seal bones
Qamutingnguat: [the largest bones]
Natsinguat [seal]
Angutingnguat [men]
Illitingnguat
Arnanguat [woman]
Sirpalungnguat [crooked shape]
Qajuuttanguat [bent in shape]
Allaangajungnguat
Qullinguat
Qimminguat [dog]
Tiriganniap Kiasinga Qajurtuutik
Natsiup Kiasinga Qajurtuutik
The toddlers will love to play
in a water center. If there is a
water table, fill the tub with
clean water. Colour the water
by adding a few drops of food
colouring. Provide the children
with objects like squirting
containers (empty plastic ketchup
holders) and measuring cups
with which to play.
Tip
If there isn’t a water table, make
a water center by filling a dishwashing tub with water and
placing it on the floor or on a
low table.
99
Craft
Floating boat
Getting ready
How to make
Have the children save recycled objects that float.
Children can check to see if the objects float by putting
them in the bath.
Create a floating boat by gluing the spools and other
objects onto the grocery store meat tray.
Tip
Materials
Afterwards, the children can test their floating boats at
the water table.
Recyclables that float include:
•
Sewing spools
•
Grocery store meat trays
•
Plastic strawberry baskets
•
Yoghurt containers……etc.
•
White glue
Activity
Finding things that float and sink
Getting ready
Test objects by putting them in the water to see if they
float or sink. For example, scissors sink when they are
put in the water, while a pencil floats when it is placed
in the water. Test items available in the daycare center
by placing them in the water.
3.
4.
5.
Prepare a chart that lists things that float and sink:
Things that float
Things that sink
Pencils
Scissors
Coffee sticks
Toy trucks
6.
Rulers
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cardboard
Pencil (or pen)
Assorted items from the daycare center which float
and sink, which you have tested in advance.
Water
Container
Towel
Sticking tape
To test what floats and what sinks
1.
2.
100
Have all the children sit down on the floor in a
circle.
Show the children a water-filled container and
demonstrate the meaning of float and sink.
7.
Show the children the float/sink chart.
Provide each child with one item that floats and
one that sinks
The leader goes first – shows the children an object
– and asks, “Will it float? Will it sink?” The object is
then placed on top of the water. The name of the
item that floats is then written in the float column
of the chart; the name of the item that sinks is
written beneath the sink title.
One at a time, the children each put the item they
hold into the water. With every turn the question
is asked, “Did it float? Did it sink?” The names of
the items that float are then written in the float
column of the chart, the names of the items that
sink are written beneath the sink title.
Once all the children have placed their items
into the water, review the chart. Ask the children
again which items float, and which items sink, and
explain to them why certain things float, while
certain others sink.
Tips
•
•
Ask the children if they think they would float or
sink in the water, and prompt them to speak on
anything related to this subject.
The children can draw pictures of things that float
and things that sink.
Kumak (Lice)
19
It is said that removing lice from someone’s head outdoors can cause a
storm.
One winter, on a very calm, pleasant day, two sisters were outdoors. Both of
them had lice on their heads, and so they began to pick the lice from each
other’s hair without even bothering to go indoors. They just dropped the
lice onto the snow. They were still de-lousing each other when the weather
suddenly turned very stormy. The snow flew so thickly that one could get
easily lost. That is exactly what happened to those two sisters. And ever since,
people are warned never to remove lice outdoors, because it will cause the
weather to turn very stormy.
How lice were helpful to the Inuit
Long ago, Inuit were always infested with lice. Of course they removed the
lice, but the louse populations were never wiped out completely. However,
some people say that the lice were actually a big help to Inuit, because they
removed people’s old blood. As a result, Inuit never got tired, because their
old blood was regularly removed and replaced with fresh blood. So, their
strength was constantly renewed. Nowadays, Inuit keep the same old blood,
because we don’t have lice to suck it out, and therefore we
get tired quickly.
Inside tents or igloos, when caribou skin or dog
skin bedding was being shaken clean, it is said
that the lice were so plentiful that many,
many of them were shaken out onto the
ground. But the Inuit then were
not at all queasy about lice and
having so many lice around;
because they thought the lice
had useful purposes.
Kumait were also used
for medicinal purposes
to treat people with
101
cataracts. (Cataracts are a milky film covering the eyeball, which make it
impossible to see clearly.) If someone had cataracts on their eyes, one louse
was put in each eye. It was said that the louse’s legs would jerk, or it would
crawl about, and thus remove the cataracts. The louse was held on a sort
of leash made of a human hair, which was attached to the louse’s body but
left its legs free to move.
A Kumallaaluk is a kind of louse, only bigger. There is an old story about
a Kumallaaluk that went looking for some Irqiit [louse eggs] and Kumait
[ordinary lice] on the head of a human being. It seems that the Kumallaaluk
said:
Airqavaakka Qaikkik
Qairningaannik Qulaaliik
Suniaraviit Qiirnisiuriarniarama
Qiirnisiuiraluaruvit Puukappiatautuinnaniarqutit
Puukappiataugaluaruma Ijiarjuukalu
Qingaarjuukalu Qaarpangippagik
Itingagut Anialulaarama!
Song
There are many songs about Kumallaaluk including
this one:
Airqavaakka Qaillik,
Kulluituuk Kamiviniik,
Qairningaarnik Qulaaliik,
Suniaraviit ?
Infants
Comb babies’ hair. Wash babies’
face. Make baby beautiful.
Qiirnisiuriarniarama,
Ijiarjuukalu Qingaarjuukalu,
Qaangngituarpagik,
Tingangngituarpagik Itingagut Anijumaarpunga,
Aupaluksilunga Kaluksilunga !
102
Words
Irqiq .................... the egg, or larva, of a louse, which
will hatch into a louse. Clothing lice
and hair lice are different. Clothing
lice are white, while hair lice are
black.
Kumak ................ a louse
Game
1.
2.
3.
Louse Play
Kumait ............... lice (plural of kumak)
Kumallaaluk....... a kind of louse that is bigger than an
ordinary louse.
Quvirti ................ cataracts; a medical condition in
which a thick, milky film covers the
eyeball, and hinders vision.
Age: 2 plus
Sing or say ‘Aiqqavaakka Qaikkik’. (See Story/Song)
The leader can tell the story while crawling on the floor, acting out the
role of a louse for the children. Then get the children to crawl along,
and act out the role of lice themselves.
The supervisor, while crawling like a louse, can carry a child on top of
him/her, to let them “ride a louse”.
Toddlers
Play hide the egg. Find an object
that is shaped like an egg. Show
it to the children. Have the
children cover their eyes while
the leader hides the object. Invite
the children to search for the
hidden object.
Tip
Hide the egg in a place which
can be safely accessed by young
children.
103
Craft
Model Kumak (Louse)
Getting ready
Make a model kumak
Materials
1.
2.
3.
Modeling clay in black, brown, and grey colors
(enough so that each child can make a kumak)
Paper
Pen
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Activity
In the childcare setting this would be an excellent
opportunity to invite the local nurse to come into the
center and show the leaders (parents and teachers) how
to conduct a lice check. This involves examining a child’s
hair to look for the small white eggs, which stick on
the hair near the base and must be removed by pulling
gently.
It is also a great opportunity to make a game of
grooming – combing hair, braiding hair, applying gel and so
on.
104
Age: 2 plus
Show children the model kumak [louse];
Talk about the three colours of clay to be used;
Invite the children to select a chunk of clay and to
soften it by kneading with their hands;
While the children are kneading the clay, tell them
the story of Kumallaaluk;
Have them form the louse’s head; then the body,
and six long thin legs to attach to the body. Make
sure they can see the model you have made.
Place the completed models on a sheet of paper,
and write each child’s name underneath.
Ask each child to talk about what he/she has just
made.
Girls
20
A story about how girls used to play before and after the arrival of Qallunaat.
Before Qallunaat
In the wintertime, girls played in a child-sized igloo that their parents made
for them. Sometimes the girls would sleep in the playhouse igloo; it was like
a real miniature home. The inside of the igloo was equipped with regular
houseold items, and might include an alliaq [twig mat] and a pretend qulliq
[soapstone lamp] .Sometimes parents would make a real, small soapstone
qulliq for their daughter.
Inside the playhouse igloo, the older girls boiled seal meat or water to make
Labrador tea. Sometimes the boys would bother the girls in their play snow
houses.
In the summertime, girls used to play outdoors. They played ball with caribou
skin bean bags, filled with sand. Mothers made small tents for girls out of an
old ulipakaaq [shawl] or an old tent. The parents made sure their girls had
a place to play and have fun, and to have sleepovers with their cousins. The
girls used caribou skin for sheets and goose down comforters for blankets.
As in the winter, they made boiled seal meat and other food. Sometimes
when the girls were preparing food, the dogs would bother
them by entering the tents and stealing the food.
The girls used rocks as toys. They used rocks to build
dollhouses. The girls even used rocks as pretend
babies, carrying pretend baby rocks in small ulipakaat
[carrier shawls].
The children played hide-and-seek behind big
rocks. Sometimes if a person remained unfound,
that person would whistle to help the seekers
locate him/her.
The girls played other games like never ending
jumping. The last person still jumping at the end was
said to be pisitik [smart].
105
After Qallunaat
Many things changed for Inuit children after the
missionaries and fur traders came to the Inuit homeland
in the Arctic. The missionaries preached and shared
Bible stories. The fur traders brought flour and tea
and sugar, foods which the Inuit children had never
tasted before. The traders traded the flour and tea
and sugar for the furs of fox, marten and other
animals that Inuit hunters trapped.
Life changed. Now the girls used empty cans to
make toys. Sometimes they would place empty
cans all around the inside and outside edge of
their play tent. They would make a pretend qulliq
[lamp] using the screw-top of a jar. Sometimes
the girls would stand behind a steep rock and
play pretend trader or cashier, using pebbles as
pretend money
One thing that didn’t change – the boys still pestered the girls when they
played. Very often the boys would steal the cans they used as toys.
Infants
The activity (below) provides
directions for making a wooden
doll – Inuujaq. Show the Inuujaq
to baby. Check to make sure
that the wood is smooth so that
baby can safely hold an Inuujaq
without getting a sliver.
106
Song
Inuujangnguamakua /
Paipaingnguamakua
(About dolls)
Inuujangnguamakua Mikitsanguaqsutik
Silitsanguarsutik Mikitsanguarmata
Mauna Maunali, Mauna maunali
Illutituluga Tailaurlagu
Illutituluga Tailaurlagu
Nuliamininginna Paijiaminik
Mangatsituinnariaq Suqutitsangittuq
Mauna Maunali, Mauna Maunali!
107
Game
Matching Small Parkas
Age – 2 plus
Number of players: 2 – 6
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Paper
White Bristol board
Pencil
Scissors
Glue/ sticking tape
Coloring markers/crayons
Photocopier
Laminator
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
Draw a picture of a small parka;
Then, cut it out.
Make copies of this on other paper. You will need a
total of 24 small parkas.
Colour 12 pairs of parkas; (each pair should have
identical details for decorations and colour).
Once you have finished colouring and decorating the
paper parkas:
5.
6.
Cut out 24 white squares of bristol board or stiff
cardboard, making the squares larger than the cutout parkas.
Glue one parka onto each white paper square.
When finished, you will have a set of 12 pairs of
matching parka cards.
7.
Lamination is optional. It will increase the life span
of your cards.
If you are going to laminate, heat the laminator
for 15 minutes. Place the small parka pictures in
the laminator package, taking into account the
size, and put the cards inside the laminator. Once
they are all laminated, cut the cards out. Be careful
not to cut them too close to the paper edges.
Getting ready
Before playing, initiate a conversation about parkas.
Ask the children if they have parkas, and if they can
describe what their parka looks like.
108
How to play
1.
2.
3.
Show the children how the cards match in pairs.
Take time to let the children describe things that
are the same and different about the cards.
Teach them the different colour names, and have
them say the colour names out loud.
When the children have an understanding of the
cards and how they can be made into matching
pairs: play the matching game.
How to search for matching pictures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Spread the matching cards face down on the floor;
The players sit in a circle around the playing cards;
The starting player turns over two cards to expose
the faces;
If the first player’s two cards do not match, they
must turn them back over – face down; if the two
cards match, the player can take the two cards out
of play, and keep them in front of him/her;
A player who gets a matching pair can have
another turn; if not, the player to the right of the
starter plays next, picking two cards and claiming
them if they match, or turning them back if they
do not;
Play continues around the circle until all the pairs
have been matched;
The children count up the pairs of cards; the child
with the most pairs is pistiq.
Tips
•
•
This game of guessing matching cards is good for
language and cognitive development.
As an alternative to colouring the parkas, you can
use different colours of construction paper, cutting
out two parkas of the same colour to make the
matching pairs. Cut out 24 parkas in all. You can
decorate them if you wish.
Words
alliaq .................. twig mat
Colour words:
qallunaat............ non-Inuit
aupartuq ............ red
inuujaq ............... doll
tungujurtaq ....... blue
pattaq ................ ball
qursutaq............. yellow
pisitik.................. smart (winner)
kajuk .................. brown
qulliq .................. stove
sinarnaq ............. grey
ulipakaaq ........... baby carrier shawl
qakurtaq ............ white
qirnitaq .............. black
Toddlers
Many of the two-year-olds will
be able to jump on two feet.
Encourage the two-year-olds
to try jumping on two feet.
Organize an informal jumping
contest. Gather the small
children in a circle, making sure
each child has an area of their
own. Show them how to jump
using two feet -- legs slightly
apart, bend knees down, and
push. Then see who can keep
jumping for the longest. The one
who can jump longest can be
called pisitiq.
109
Craft
Small parka picture with a photo
Materials
How to make
•
•
•
•
1.
•
•
•
•
Paper, or construction paper
Marking pens
Coloring brushes/crayons
Pictures of the children, or old magazines
containing pictures of people
Cotton or flannel cloth, or rabbit or other fur
Scissors
Glue/sticking tape
Pencil/pen
Getting ready
Show the children a real parka. Encourage the children
to examine the parka carefully.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Give each child a page on which the outline of a
small parka has been copied. Provide some parka
shape options of interest to boys or girls.
Provide the children with a selection of colouring
markers, crayons, etc. The children can colour the
parkas as they wish.
While they colour, speak with them about the
colours they are using, and encourage them to talk
about their work.
When the children finish colouring, the leader
should cut a hole for a face in the parka hood.
Paste a picture of the child to the back of the head,
so the face shows through the head opening.
If some children do not have a picture of
themselves, they can search for a picture of their
choice in old magazines.
When complete, be sure to put the child’s name on
the back of their work.
Add on a strip of flannel, cotton or rabbit fur
around the edge of the hood.
Tip
Children love to see their work posted for others to
admire. Do post the children’s work for others to see
and appreciate.
110
Activity
Two items that can be made by adults for children to play with
are wooden dolls and gooseneck blankets. The directions follow.
Inuujaq – Wooden doll
Goose Neck Blanket
Materials
Materials
•
•
•
•
1.
2.
A hand-sized piece of wood
Sandpaper
Pencil
Knife
If you are going to add doll clothing, you will need:
•
Scissors
•
Cloth
•
Needle and thread
How to make
1.
2.
First, carve a length of wood about as long as
your hand into a human form. Smooth it with
sandpaper (watch out for slivers!). Mark the eyes
with a pencil.
You can make clothing for these dolls including:
dresses, silapaat [shell for parka or pants), amautiit,
hats, and boots.
Knife/Uluk
Head and neck of Canada goose
How to make
1.
2.
3.
With a knife or an uluk, slit and remove the skin of
the head and neck of a Canada goose, making sure
to include the white part of the skin, which makes
the blanket very attractive.
Remove all the flesh from the skin, and let the skin
dry.
Once it is dry, show the goose neck to the children
and explain how it can be used as a blanket or
bedding for an Inuujaq.
Getting ready
1.
Let the children talk all they want about the
subject of Canada geese, and see if they can do
goose calls.
Bring a goose to show to the children.
How to play
2.
Children can play with the Inuujaq in the same
way as any dolls, dressing them up with clothing, if
available, or carrying them in a shawl on their back
– amaangnguataujuit.
How to play
When children play with dolls, goose neck blankets can
be used as model bedding, or model blankets.
Tips
After you show them how the slitting and removing of
the skin is done, and after the skin is set to dry, you can
have the children draw a picture of a Canada goose,
or, have them colour a picture of a Canada goose. If
you have a song that relates to Canada geese, teach
them to sing the song. Whenever you are teaching, you
should make every effort to make everything you do
enjoyable and fun.
There were a number of activities mentioned in the
story that you can explore in a childcare setting, for
example:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Make toys with empty cans
Hide and seek with whistle
Jumping activity
Make a small igloo
Make an alliaq [twig mat]
Light a qulliq for the children to see
Prepare oiled seal meat for the children to eat
111
112
The Snowy Owl
21
The Uppik [Snowy Owl] lives all year round in
the Arctic. Its feathers are mostly white,
and it has round, staring eyes.
Snowy owls have big sharp claws
on their feet, which look like
they could hurt a person.
Their favourite food is the
Avingngaq [lemming], but
they can kill and eat bigger animals, such as snowshoe rabbits
and Arctic hares. A snowy owl
can swallow a lemming whole.
The only part they won’t eat is
the stomach.
Snowy owls are very patient
birds. They will sit very still for a
long time, waiting for a lemming to
show up.
It is sometimes possible to fool a Snowy owl
with an Uniujaq – a small piece of caribou skin
tied to the end of a very long string. If a human
drags the Uniujaq along the ground to simulate a
lemming, the owl can fool itself into believing that it is
a real lemming.
Sometimes the lemming population grows too big, and many lemmings get
sick and die off. Then the Snowy owls have to fly far south to find other kinds
of food.
Snowy owls make their nests on the ground in hilly areas. They lay 6 to 8
white, very round eggs, which look a bit like seagull eggs.
113
Song
Uppialuk
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Review the Snowy Owls information and vocabulary (Words);
Practice singing the Snowy Owl song; You can use any tune you like;
Find a picture of a Snowy Owl, if possible.
How to sing
1.
2.
3.
Ask the children to be seated on the floor in a circle;
Show them the picture of a Snowy Owl;
Leader should sing the song first, so they can learn the tune.
Uppialuqarpuq Anirralimmik Napaartumi
Takugiatamaat Sunatuinnamik
(Open your eyes very wide)
Nipailiumisuumik
(Close your mouth)
Nipailiumituarami Tusaatsianirsausuumik
(Cup your hand to your ear, to indicate listening)
Sugattali Uppialummik Qaujimatsiatualummik
Ajjiqarasuatuinnajanginnivugut?
(Act like a wise owl)
Words
Infants
Avingngaq ................ lemming
Ijik.............................. eye
Infants will be fascinated to see
the moving bird foot and may
try to grab at it. (See Activity).
They will also enjoy singing the
Niaquq, Tuik song. The adult can
gently touch the infant on the
head and shoulder while singing
the song.
114
Niaquq ...................... head
Putuguq .................... big toe
Qaniq ........................ mouth
Qingaq ...................... nose
Siutik ......................... ear
Tuik............................ shoulder
Uppik/Uppialuk ........ Snowy owl
Game
Lemming Crawl
5.
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
4.
Show the children pictures of lemmings and snowy
owls, and talk about both of them.
Tape the pictures to the floor.
The children start the game at the wall (touching it).
When the leader says, “GO!” the children crawl to
one of the pictures.
Game
Age: 2 plus
6.
Tell whoever reaches the picture first the name of
the animal or bird.
The pictures of the lemming and the snowy owl can
stay pasted on the floor for the whole day for the
small children to see.
Lemming Race
Materials
•
•
•
Pictures of birds and land animals, including a
lemming and a snowy owl
A large, spacious room
Glue/sticking tape
How to play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Explain the differences between birds and land
animals, while showing the pictures to the children.
Encourage the children to talk about birds and
animals.
Do a few simple exercises with the children to warm
up their muscles, because they will be moving about
a lot during the game.
Pick two children to take turns picking a team.
Each team should pick a name for itself.
Ask each team to line up in a row.
Stick a picture of a lemming and a snowy owl on the
wall facing the two teams. The first player in each
team will race to touch one of the pictures.
Before each pair races, pick a method for their
race – for example, jump, run, hop on one foot,
walk backwards. (Take into account their physical
abilities.)
After explaining how you want them to move, say
“Go!”
When the children have had enough, it would be a
good time to do some coloring activities involving
birds and animals.
Toddlers
A matching game can be made
for toddlers using pairs of bird
feet: ptarmigan, duck, goose etc.
Mix up the various feet, and ask
the children to find the pairs.
This matching game can also be
played using children’s shoes.
Tip
Be careful to make sure that the
bird feet are safe for children’s
use. Watch out for protruding
claws.
115
Craft
Owl – Cut and Paste
Age: 2 plus
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Make a template of an owl approximately 20 cm high and 10 cm wide.
For younger children, pre-cut an owl for each child.
Collect bird feathers (Goose, ptarmigan, duck etc.).
Materials
•
•
•
Cardboard or construction paper
Feathers
Glue
How to make
Older children will trace the owl template onto thin cardboard or
construction paper and cut out an owl shape.
All children will glue feathers onto the owl cut-out.
Activity
Bird Claw
Materials
•
•
•
Claw of a bird such as a goose, duck or ptarmigan
Thong made of caribou hide or sealskin, or a sealskin line 20 cm. long
A knife or an ulu
How to make
1.
2.
3.
Cut off the bird leg at the feather-line joint with a knife.
Dry the claw near a window, or any place you consider suitable.
Move the claw periodically using the tendon while the claw is drying, in order to
maintain movement.
How to play
1.
2.
3.
Tie a thong or string to the tendon.
Use the thong to make the claw open and shut.
Use the claw to pick up objects by manipulating the
thong.
Tip
This activity is good for developing fine motor control. It
can also be used for language development if the leader
takes the opportunity to engage the child in conversation
while playing with the claw.
116
Wrestling – Paajartut
22
Inuit used to have wrestling matches
that lasted a long time. A wrestling
match could go on for many hours.
In order to get ready for a wrestling
match, Inuit would remove their
outside clothes such as their atigik
[parka].
There are many different kinds
of wrestling matches. These
include: leg wrestle, thumb
wrestle, chair wrestle and
nikuvittuq – where one
wrestler lies on top of the
other.
Inuit wrestlers were not
allowed to use their feet to
trip each other. If a wrestler
used his feet to trip the opposing
player the game was stopped.
Tripping was not allowed.
Long ago, wrestling matches
would continue until there was a
winner. Sometimes when the wrestlers were
both very strong the match would continue for
a very long time. The wrestlers would wrestle
until one of the players became too weak to keep going, and gave up.
At that time Inuit lived in small camps, usually quite far from each other.
The camps in Nunavik were mostly spread out along the coast of Hudson
Bay and Ungava Bay. When Inuit came together they would have friendly
wrestling matches. They played for fun and they played for pleasure.
117
Words
Ijiik...................... [Eyes] Eyes are for seeing.
Niaquq ............... [Head] Heads are for thinking.
Qaniq ................. [Mouth] Mouths are for smiling. Mouths are for talking. Mouths are for eating.
Qingaq ............... [Nose] Noses are for smelling. Noses are for breathing.
Paajartut ............ They wrestle.
Putuguq ............. [Big Toe] Toes are for wiggling.
Siirquq ................ [Knee] Knees are for bending.
Siutik .................. [Ear] Ears are for hearing.
Tuik..................... [Shoulder] Shoulders are for carrying.
Song
Niaquq Tuik Siirquq Putuguq
(Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes)
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Review the names of the body parts with the children.
Ask the children to touch body parts ie. Touch your knee.
Children should be standing up to sing this song.
How to sing
This is the Inuttitut version of “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” It is
sung to the same tune.
Siirquq Putuguq
Siirquq Putuguq
Ijiik Siutiik Qingaq Qaniq !
Infants
Sing the head and shoulders
song to baby, gently touching
each part of the body part when
it is named in the song.
The children sing standing up, and touch each body part mentioned in the
song. For example, when they sing, “Niaquq,” they touch their head. When
they sing, “Tuik,” they touch their shoulders.
Tip
Use this song when teaching body parts.
118
Game
Wrestling games1
Age – 3 plus
Players – 2
Leg wrestle
Nikuvittuq
Getting ready
Getting ready
1.
One player lies on stomach.
Second player lies stiffly on top.
2.
Two competitors lie on their backs with heads in
opposite directions.
Side by side, the competitors link arms at elbow
and grab their own wrist across their chest with
the other free hand.
How to play
How to play
The player on the bottom tries
to get up without using their
hands.
Lifting inside legs, lock legs with the competitor at the
knee. The outside leg is bent at the knee and resting
on the floor. Pulling down with the raised leg, try to
flip opponent over backwards.
Thumb wrestle
Getting ready
1.
2.
Two players stand up face-to-face. They lock their
hands together by the thumbs.
Each player’s arm is bent at a 90° angle, and their
elbows are touching.
The Wrestling Games are taken from
the book prepared by the Keewatin
Inuit Association in 1980, and printed
by the Department of Education. It is
called Inuit Games and was written
by Gwynneth Butler and Joe Karetak.
Pages 93–95.
1
How to play
Using strength of arm, wrist, and hand only, play
wrestle the arms back and forth until one wrestler
gives up and releases their thumb.
Toddlers
Review the names of various
body parts with the toddlers. You
can ask them to show you and
name the various parts of their
own bodies and those of a doll
or stuffed animal.
119
Craft
Body Outlines
Getting ready
How to make
1.
1.
2.
Talk about the names of the articles of clothing
that the children are wearing, such as shirts, pants
and socks.
Cut out body-length pieces from a long roll of
paper – 1 piece for each child.
3.
4.
5.
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
2.
Large sheets of construction paper
Pencil
Scissors
Assorted colouring supplies
Masking tape
6.
Lay out the paper lengths flat on the floor.
One child lies face up upon a length of paper.
The child stretches out their arms and legs, and lies
still.
The leader traces the child’s outline with a marker.
Once the leader finishes tracing one child, that
child can start drawing in details on his/her outline;
The outline can be coloured to resemble the child’s
own clothing.
After the child finishes drawing the details, he/she
colours the clothing, hair, eyes, etc.
Tips
•
•
•
The leader should be aware that this activity of
colouring children’s outlines normally would not
be finished all in one day. The ability and interest
of the children determine the speed of this project.
When a child finishes his/her work, the leader will
write the child’s name clearly on the outline, and
stick it up on the wall.
When the children are all finished their body
outlines, the leader can ask individual children
about themselves: discussing the child’s clothing,
eyes, hair, and other details shown on the picture.
Activity
Invite two parents or older siblings to visit and to demonstrate the games
described in the games section.
120
About Flour
23
A story about the very first time that the Inuit saw flour.
For hundreds of years, for thousands of years, Inuit ate only foods that
came from the land and the sea around them. They hunted and fished for
foods such as cod, walrus, seal, whale and caribou. They gathered berries,
mussels and plants for making tea. All their food came from the area where
the Inuit lived.
Then the first traders arrived. They were Qallunaat [non-Inuit people], and
they brought foods from faraway lands to the Inuit homeland.
This story is about what happened when Inuit first saw flour.
When Inuit first saw flour they were astonished. Inuit
did not know about flour.
Inuit did not know what flour was.
Inuit did not know about the purpose of flour.
Inuit did not know how to use flour.
One day, not knowing what it was, some Inuit opened
a bag of flour.
They grabbed the flour in their hands.
They blew the flour into the air.
They let the flour fluff fly.
They created a fluffy cloud of flour powder.
The Inuit emptied the entire bag of flour.
The Inuit were completely enchanted with the wonder of seeing flour for
the first time.
They laughed and laughed.
And so it is said that we are often amazed and surprised by something new…
but later, our amazement seems very funny.
Tip
Ask the children if they have had a funny experience with something that was new to them.
121
Words
Atigik ................. parka cover
Inaluujaq ............ coiled bannock
Itimait................. palm of hand
Niqitsajaq ........... flour (Hudson dialect)
Sanaugaq ........... flour (Ungava dialect)
Song
Bannock
Bannock
Good to eat
My mom’s bannock
Can’t be beat
Game
Flour Bag Race
Age: 2 plus
Number of players: 2-8
Materials
1 empty cloth flour bag for each racer.
Getting ready
Infants
1.
2.
Set up a starting and finishing line.
Give each racer an empty flour bag.
How to play
The infants will enjoy the
opportunity to touch the play
dough. A dough footprint can
be made by having baby push
his/her feet into a ball of dough
slightly larger than their foot. A
handprint can be made using the
same method.
122
1.
2.
3.
4.
Each child is given an empty flour bag;
The children stand behind the starting line, with both legs inside the
flour bag, holding onto the top edge with both hands;
The leader yells, “atti” and the racers start hopping to the finish line,
keeping their feet inside the bag, and their hands holding onto the top
edge.
The first child to reach the finish line is “pisitik”
Craft
Play Dough1
The children will love to play with play dough. They can cut it, roll it, knead it, model it, cook it, and paint it.
Here are three different ways to make play dough:
1. Salt dough
Materials
•
•
•
•
1 cup flour
½ cup salt
½ cup water
One squirt of dishwashing soap
How to make
3. Dough which is modeled then
cooked
Materials
•
•
•
•
2 cups flour
½ cup salt
3/4 cup water
Food colouring
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them
How to make
thoroughly with your hands.
1.
2. Cooked play dough
2.
3.
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
1 cup flour
½ cup salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons oil
Food colouring
4.
Mix together the flour, salt and water. Add food
colouring, and mix well.
Use this dough within four hours of mixing.
Shape or model the dough as desired. Bake the
dough shapes at 250 degrees F until hard.
Remove from oven, let cool, and paint.
Tip
This recipe is good for making hand and foot prints!
How to make
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mix together the water, oil and
food colouring in a pot;
Add flour, salt, cream of tartar to the
pot;
Cook over medium heat until the
mixture comes away from the sides of
the pot and forms a ball;
Cool and use. When finished playing with the
dough, it can be stored in a plastic container in the
refrigerator.
Toddlers
The toddlers will enjoy many
hours of playtime with the play
dough. They can knead, mold
and roll the dough.
These recipes originally appeared in Games for children 0–5 years old,
Kativik Regional Government, Kuujjuaq, 1990, Page 46.
1
123
Activity
Making Bannock
The three- and four-year-old children will enjoy helping with the mixing of the flour to make the bannock.
Ingredients
How to make inaluujaq [coiled bannock]
•
•
•
•
1.
•
Flour (5 lb. bag)
Baking powder
Salt
Lard (one 1 lb. block plus one
1/2 lb. block)
Water
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Place the contents of a small bag 5 lb of flour in a mixing bowl, leaving
only a small amount at the bottom of the bag.
Fill the palm of your hand with baking powder, and add to the bowl.
Half fill your palm with salt, and add to bowl. Stir dry ingredients
together.
Melt half a block (1/2 lb) of lard in a pot on top of the stove. Add the
melted lard to the flour mixture.
Gradually add cold water to the flour, kneading it in with your hands.
Add just enough water to make a stiff dough. (You need a consistency
that is easy to knead, but not sticky.)
Knead the dough until smooth.
Cover the bowl with a clean cloth, and let the dough rise for one hour.
Once the dough has risen, cook it as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Materials (utensils) required
•
•
•
•
•
Mixing bowl
Cooking pot
Large fork
Scissors
Stove
6.
7.
Put a full block (1 lb) of lard in the cooking pot on the stovetop.
Melt lard over medium/high heat.
Cut dough into long strips with scissors.
When the lard is boiling, coil one dough strip gently into the lard.
When the dough is lightly golden on the bottom, turn the coil over
with the large fork.
When the inaluujaq are cooked on both sides, remove the pot from
the burner, and remove the inaluujaq with the large fork.
Place cooking pot back on stovetop, and repeat Step 3 with remaining
dough until all is cooked.
Warning
Keep children
away from hot
stoves and fat!
Did you know?
Inuit hunters used empty flour
sacks as blinds when hunting
seals. They sometimes made an
attigi [parka cover] out of flour
sacks. The white cloth allowed
the hunters to blend in with
the snow, so the seals could
not see them.
124
Kuuttaaq River
24
This is a story about how the Kuuttaaq River got its name.
A long time ago an Inuk hunter was hunting north of Inukjuak. He was
hunting where the Kuuttaaq River flows today.
As he was walking along, he saw a giant coming towards him. The man was
sure that if the giant saw him, he would be killed. So he decided to pretend
that he was frozen stiff and dead.
Soon, the giant found the man who was pretending
to be dead. He thought it very strange to find a
dead man, lying on the tundra. The giant put his
ear close to the man’s mouth to listen and feel for
his breath. The giant watched as the man lay there,
looking to see his tummy rise as he breathed.
Finally, the giant realized that the sun had
moved much higher in the sky, so he decided
that the man was dead.
The giant picked up the man who was pretending
to be dead, and started to carry him home. It was a
long way home, and the man grew tired of being
carried. The giant trudged along steadily, and the
man started to pull at the willow branches to slow
the giant down. The added resistance made it
harder for the giant, and he grew very tired.
The man, meanwhile, was getting tired of pretending he was frozen stiff
and dead. But he did the best he could to stay rigid, so the giant would
believe he was dead.
When they arrived at the giant’s cave, the giant leaned the man against the
stove to thaw. The giant had two children and a wife. The children were
very excited to learn of the family’s good fortune. They could hardly wait
to eat the man for dinner. They chanted,
“I want to eat his eyes!
I want to eat his fingertips!”
125
The giant was tired after carrying home the man who was pretending to
be dead. The giant went to have a nap. His wife went to get wood to light
the fire, so she could cook the supper.
And so it was that the man leaned, stiff and rigid, against the stove. The
giant napped. The children played. The wife searched for wood.
The man wanted to escape. Carefully and slowly, he opened one eye.
Right away, the children shouted, “Ataatak, Ataatak! The man is alive!”
To which the giant answered, “The man is dead. I watched him so long that
while I watched, the sun moved high in the sky. Leave me alone.”
And so everyone returned to what they had been doing. The man leaned
against the stove. The giant napped. The children played. The wife searched
for wood.
And so the man tried again to check things out. This time he opened his
other eye.
Right away, the children shouted, “Ataatak, Ataatak! The man is alive!”
To which the giant answered, “The man is surely dead. I watched so long,
that while I watched the sun moved high in the sky. Leave me alone!”
And so everyone returned to what they had been doing. The man leaned
against the stove. The giant napped. The children played. The wife searched
for wood.
The next time the man opened his eye, he spotted an axe – the very axe that
was supposed to be used to chop him up for dinner. The man grabbed the
axe, and chopped off the giant’s head.
Instantly, the great doors of the giant’s cave began to shut. Fortunately, the
man was able to slip through the great doors in time, and escape.
Infants
Encourage the babies to repeat
simple words like Ataatak and
Anaanak.
126
The man ran and ran until he noticed that the giant’s
wife was chasing after him. The man kept running
and running, still holding the axe. The giant’s wife
kept running, too. She was getting closer and
closer.
The giant’s wife had almost caught up with the
man who had pretended to be frozen and dead.
So the man lifted the axe and hurled it at the
ground, shouting, “Kuuttaalaurlit!” [Let there be a new river.]
Suddenly, water began to flow out of the ground where the axe had hit.
Soon, the river had grown wide. The giant’s wife was on the other side. She
shouted across the water, “How did you cross the river?” The man said, “I
drank its water.”
So the giant’s wife started to drink the river water. She drank and drank.
She became bigger and bigger. She kept on drinking until she burst like a
balloon. The water that the woman had drunk turned to mist, and then to
fog.
The man escaped to safety. But his story will be remembered as long as the
Kuuttaaq River flows.
Words
Song
Aqajaq................ waterweed
Getting ready
Ataatak .............. father
This is a rhyme to be repeated. Start by reading through the words slowly
with the children. Then try to repeat them a little more quickly. Continue
speeding up the repetitions until the children can speak the words no
more.
Anaanak............. mother
Tuurngaq ........... spirit giant
Kuuttaaq
Tuurngaq
Kuuttaaq
Tuurngaq
Giant
River
Did you know?
Whoosh
Kuuttaaq is the Inuttitut word
for “getting a new river.”
Toddlers
Take the toddlers outside on a
rock-collecting trip. Be sure that
they don’t collect rocks small
enough to swallow.
127
Game
Iniqunaippaa
Number of players: 2
How to play
1.
Getting ready
1.
2.
3.
Take the children outside on a pebble collecting
expedition.
The children should pick small pebbles. The
children should look for pebbles that they find
attractive.
Once the pebbles have been collected, they should
be washed.
Each child finds a
partner and a place
to sit down.
Each pair decides who will go first.
The first player in the pair holds one pebble in
his/her hand and asks Iniqunaippaa? [Is this pebble
ugly?] If his/her playing partner answers “Yes,”
the pebble is discarded. If the partner says ‘No,’
the pebble is kept, because it is considered to be
attractive.
The children take turns asking the question until
all the pebbles have been judged.
The children who played Iniqunaippaa should
keep the pebbles that were considered attractive.
Encourage them to count how many pebbles they
had rated as attractive.
2.
3.
4.
Materials
•
•
•
•
Age: 3 plus
Pebbles (small rocks)
Small sacks for collecting the pebbles
A container to wash the pebbles
Towel
5.
Warning
Small rocks can present a choking
hazard to the infants and toddlers.
Keep the pebbles safely out of the
little ones’ reach.
Activity
Pretend Net Fishing with Aqajait
(water weed)
Rock Painting
Getting ready
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
128
Craft
Collect seaweed and bring to the class.
Have the children make nets with the waterweed
by knotting the ends together until they have a
net shape.
Prepare for a minnow catching expedition. Be sure
to have one adult for every two children to provide
adequate supervision by the water.
Once the pretend nets are made, walk to a pond or
small lake with the pretend nets in hand, and set
the nets to catch minnows.
It is possible to actually catch some minnows using
the Aqajait. If the children catch some, you can dry
the minnows, and eat them once they are dry.
Materials
Paint
Small, thin paintbrushes
Rocks (washed and dried)
How to make
Paint the rocks using the paint and brushes.
Tip
When the painted rocks have dried, adults can apply
varnish to make the rocks shiny.
Qulliq
25
A Qulliq is a soapstone lamp/stove. The soapstone is carved to form a rounded
shape, with a depression at the top to hold the fuel. The Qulliq burns seal
oil as fuel. For our Inuit ancestors, Qulliit were the only source of light and
heat.
Before Inuit moved into houses in villages and hamlets;
Before Inuit had diesel-fueled powerhouses;
Before Inuit had electric lights and stoves;
Inuit had the qulliq.
Inuit used the qulliq for light.
Inuit used the qulliq for heat.
Inuit used the qulliq for cooking. The qulliq was used to melt snow and
drinking water, make tea, boil meat, and make bannock. The qulliq was also
used for drying different things, such as mittens and boots, or the moss that
was used as diapers. Fox skins and sealskins were dried by placing them in
a paugusiit [drying rack] near a qulliq.
Seal oil was used to fuel the qulliq. Oil from beluga whales could also be
used. Beluga fat is called qilalukkigaq. It burns without any soot and makes
a high, clean flame. Some people say qilalukkigaq burns best.
Seal fat was kept stored in seal skin pouches called puurtaq. After the
Qallunaat arrived, the Inuit sometimes
stored seal oil in big empty oil drums.
To prepare the seal oil, seal fat was
placed outdoors above the paaq
[igloo entrance] to freeze. When it
was frozen solid, it was crushed
[kaugaqsituq] and then used
to fuel the qulliq.
If there were not very many
seal available, there would
not be very much oil for the
qulliq. If Inuit ran out of seal oil
for the qulliq, they would have
129
to make other arrangements for heat and light. After the white traders had
arrived, the Inuit could make a fire in a cut-off oil drum right in the porch in
winter. They cut a hole in the roof of the porch so that the smoke could exit.
The porch fire was used to melt ice for water, to boil codfish, and to cook
seal meat. This kind of a cooking set-up was called an Igaliq [cookhouse].
An igloo without a burning qulliq would become very frosty inside. It would
be both dark and cold.
Words
Igaliq .................. cookhouse; a wooden house or an igloo used for cooking food.
Paaq ................... manhole; the entrance to a snow igloo.
Puurtaq .............. sealskin pouch for oil or meat; made of a whole sealskin.
Kaugarsituq ....... process of hammering frozen seal fat to make fuel for the qulliq.
Infants
The seal oil used for lighting the
qulliq can have a strong smell.
Take this opportunity to let the
little ones develop their sense of
smell. Let the babies smell the
seal oil and other odorous items
such as: nikkuk, sealskin, caribou
skin. Find some items which have
a distinct smell. Encourage baby
to sniff. Talk about the smells.
130
Song
Qulliq, qulliq: qulliq my light
Soapstone base,
Arctic cotton wick,
Seal oil and whale oil burn so bright
Make my snow house warm at night.
Game
Building Play Houses
Materials
Getting ready – Inside
•
•
1.
•
•
•
•
Pebbles that can fit in your hand.
Ground plants, including berry plants such as
Paurngaqutiit [blackberry], Arpiqutiit [bake apple]
and others.
Berries that grow on the ground, such as Paurngait
[blackberry] Kimminait [cranberry] etc.
Water.
Pail (or pot).
Small sacks to put pebbles and plants in.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Each child washes his/her collection of pebbles, and
cleans the plants.
Have everybody sit on the floor in a circle. The
leader demonstrates with his/her collection of
pebbles and plants how to make a playhouse.
Have each child separate his/her pebble collection,
according to the different sizes.
After they separate their pebbles, use the largest
pebbles to make a circle – playhouse.
Select the longest pebble to be a play father.
Select a medium-sized pebble to be a play mother.
Select some of the smallest pebbles to be play
children.
The plants will be used as play bedding and
blankets.
Plants and berries, such as Paurnngait, can be
used to decorate the playhouse, and make its
surroundings attractive and pleasant to see.
How to play
1.
2.
Getting ready – Outside
1.
2.
3.
4.
The leader tells children about rocks and ground
plants including: Paurngaqutiit, Arpiqutiit, and
others. Show pictures of the plants and have
examples on hand. Encourage the children to talk
about rocks and plants.
Give each child a bag or basket in which to collect
small rocks (pebbles) and plants.
Go outdoors with the children to search for
pebbles and plants.
Have each child pick pebbles of different sizes – at
least 20 – and a few plants. Be sure each child finds
a pebble that could represent a qulliq.
3.
Have the pebble people act like real people and
move them around the play area.
Have the pebble people act out a hunting camp
scene, and give the children the freedom to play all
they want with their playhouses.
After they finish playing with their playhouses,
have them pack them back in their sacks. Each
child should have a sack with his/her name on it to
take home.
Toddlers
Create little sniff bags for
toddlers. Sew together squares
of thin cotton, or use thin old
cotton socks. Insert items with
a scent or odour and encourage
the toddlers to name the smell.
131
Craft
Pretend Qulliq
Materials
How to make
•
•
•
1.
•
•
Small plastic produce tray.
Cotton balls (enough to cover bottom of tray).
Orange and red strips of construction paper (can
but cut to point at top to resemble flames).
Pencil.
Glue.
2.
3.
4.
Activity
Make a real qulliq using a rock
Materials
Tips
•
•
•
•
Rock
Something to act as a wick, e.g. Arctic cotton.
Cooking oil or seal oil.
To make the seal oil
Freeze some seal fat. When frozen, pound the seal fat
with a hammer. Use the fuel in your rock stove.
Place some oil in the crevice in the rock, put a starter
such as Arctic cotton on top of the oil, and light with a
match.
Did you know?
Igunaq is the Inuttitut word for
fermented/aged meat. When
the weather is warm, all meat
including seal, walrus and
caribou can be aged and will
turn into Igunaq. Inuit consider
Igunaq a delicacy. Some Elders
know how to store and treat
Igunaq so it is safe to eat.
132
With pencil, draw line lengthwise along center of
tray.
Fold small tab at bottom of construction paper
strips.
Place glue on tab of construction paper strips and
attach strips (flames) to tray along pencil line.
Glue cotton balls around flames.
•
Practice lighting the stove before using with
children.
When having the lit qulliq around children, actively
supervise to be sure that children always maintain
a safe distance from the flame.
Dogs
26
Long ago, children played with dogs and they also worked with dogs.
Children helped prepare the dogs for hunting trips, and they did chores
with the help of dogs.
Children played with any dogs that the hunters were not using. The hunters
did not take puppies, mother dogs, or sick or weak dogs. Children played
with any dogs the hunters left at camp.
Dogs had their own special gear, including harnesses, which in the old days
were made of sealskin. When the weather
was very cold, mother dogs would wear
a mamautailitaq, a cover that kept their
nipples from freezing. Dogs also had boots,
which were made out of recycled qayak skin
[qairningaq].
Children played many kinds of games
with dogs. They had small child-size
sleds equipped with sirmiit [mud
runners], which the dogs pulled. The
children could travel around near
camp using the dogs that had been
left for their use.
Children helped with the dogs in a
number of ways. For example, they
put boots on the dogs’ feet. They
helped train puppies for their future life with a
dog team by getting them used to wearing a harness and pulling the childsize sleds.
The children also did some jobs around camp with the help of dogs. An
important job was gathering moss for fuel. They also went cod fishing with
a team of one or two dogs.
Children helped their fathers prepare the sled for travel. When their father
[Ataatak] was getting ready to go on a trip, children would help plane the
mud runners of the sled. They would bring father warm water to put on
the sled runners. The water formed a thin film of ice, which helped to make
133
the sled ride quick and smooth. Children would also unwind the coiled and
tangled harness lines and put the harnesses on the sled dogs.
An Elder described the great sled dogs this way: “The great dogs would be
jerking and tugging their lines, ready and impatient to get going. When
the dog team got going, the father would barely make it on to the sled, so
great was the speed with which the dogs were traveling.”
Some dogs were very slow pullers, and traveled slowly. Some dogs were very
fast pullers, and traveled fast. It was sometimes possible to travel very fast
by dog team.
Men used some simple commands with the
dogs. They called “Qara Qara” when they
wanted the dogs to turn left. They
called, “Auk Auk” when they
wanted the dogs to turn right.
When they wanted to encourage
the dogs to keep moving, they let
out a sharp cry which sounds like
an expression of joy, “Uuk Uuk,”
and cracked their whips. Handling dogs took great skill and care, skills which
the children learned while they were growing up.
Song
Qimmiaraapiit Siutirqutuapiit
Getting ready
Infants
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Show baby some dog pictures.
Make dog sounds: bark, whine,
and so on.
Find a small plastic model dog
and place it in a container. Show
baby the container with the dog
inside. Remove the dog from the
container, keep it hidden in your
hand and ask baby, “ Where is
the dog?”
134
Have all the children sit on the floor.
Explain that children long ago used to travel by dog team.
Show the children pictures of dog teams.
Ask if any of the children have made a trip by dog team. Ask
who have dogs at home. What are the dogs’ names?
Sing the song to the tune of “Nukaaguluk” (Frère Jacques)
Qimmiaraapik Siutirqutuapik
Ilaqarluni Taquliapimmik
Qimutsikaigumajuq
Ilinnik Uvaannik
Anuliapiutsutik Qisijarnik
Pigiursarumajuapik Qangalimaaq
Words
Aijungajuq ......... slightly wet sealskins/dew
Anuk................... dog harness
Mamautailitaq ... covering to protect female dog’s
nipples
Qairningaq......... used qayak skin
Sirmiit ................. mud runners
Dog ways:
Ajaluttuq............ a dog has walked so long it is worn out, and its
muscles are no longer working properly.
Asaluqijuq .......... a dog is asaluqijuq when it has regained health after
being thin and sickly.
Iqiangngutuq..... a tired dog.
Iqiasuttujuq ....... a dog that is always lazy.
Kajungirtuq ....... a dog straining at its line, jumping and pulling as hard as
it can, in a hurry to get where it wants to go.
Miugguutuq ...... a dog or wolf howling for long stretches, stopping only
when it runs out of breath.
Palungattaq ....... a dog with one ear mauled crooked in a fight.
Pangalippuq ...... an animal running at top speed.
Qimualajuq ........ a dog that pulls hard steadily without appearing to tire.
Qimualainniq ..... a dog that is reluctant to pull hard.
Qimuttuq ........... a dog that pulls a heavy load.
Dog names:
Ailik .................... one leg is black, the
other white.
Ijinguuk .............. it has mismatched
eyes.
Kajuq .................. its fur is brown.
Kajurlaq ............. it has spots, some of
which are reddish,
and some brownish.
Katsuluk ............. not really brown, a
sort of dirty brown.
Did you know?
In the past…
When children were finished
helping their parents with
chores, they would play Pattaq
[catch-ball]. They used pieces
of old tent canvas to make a
ball, stuffing it with sand. It
was great fun!
Children did not stay out too
late at night because they
were awakened very early
in the morning. They were
expected to help their parents
and other adults with chores.
Today….
In Nunavik a dog team race is
held. It is called the Ivakkak
dog team race.
Nungngaluk ....... it has a white stripe from its nose to the top of its head.
Papikattuq ......... the tail is cut short.
Qirniq ................. its fur is black.
Toddlers
Qirniguluk.......... a poor, shabby-looking, small black dog.
Qirnikallak ......... a short, fat, plump black dog.
Qungiarulliq ...... it has white areas in its neck.
Qakurtaq............ its fur is white.
Sinarnaq ............. its fur is gray.
Siutirqutuq......... it has large floppy ears.
Toddlers will enjoy acting out
dog actions. Select some of the
words from the Dog Ways words
list and call them out one at a
time, so that children can act
them out; for example, act like a
tired dog, a dog pulling hard.
135
Game
Dog Command Race
Age: 3 plus
How to play
Number of players: 4-10
1.
Getting ready
Review/teach the dog commands to the children.
2.
Inuit from the Hudson coast of Nunavik would use
these commands:
Command to turn right:
Auk Auk
Command to turn left:
Qaja
Command to go forward:
Uit Uit
Command to stop:
Au Au
Command to look:
Uuk Uuk
Inuit from the Ungava coast of Nunavik would use
these commands:
3.
4.
5.
Set up two teams. Each team should choose a
name for itself.
Each team should form a line. The first two
children in each line bend down, and when the
leader says, “GO!” they start to move like dogs on
hands and knees towards the finish line.
While the players race to the finish line, give them
commands – for example (Hudson Coast words):
“Au Au” to stop, “Auk Auk” to turn right.
When the first player reaches the finish line, the
next child in the row starts to race toward the
finish line while following commands.
Continue until all players of one team have
reached the finish line.
Command to turn right:
Uit Uit
Tips
Command to turn left:
Qau Qau
Command to go forward:
Ala Ala
Children can practice using the dog command words
with one of their friends.
Command to stop:
Au Au
Craft
Pinecone Dogs
Getting ready
1.
2.
Collect pinecones.
Only those who live around or south of the tree
line have pinecones available. If there are no pine
trees in your area, ask to have some sent.
How to make
Put four toothpicks into one pinecone. Position the
toothpicks so they act as legs for the pinecone dog.
Materials
Tips
•
•
•
•
Pinecones (fresh, not dry and brittle)
Toothpicks
Use the model dogs to act out dog actions.
If the pinecones are dry and brittle, soak them in
water overnight.
Activity
Review the list of dog names provided in the word section. Then draw a
picture of a dog that comes to mind after looking at the list.
136

Tell Me a Story

Transcription

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